


When the desert weeps, my soul cries out for you.

by FireThatFox



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Dark Hatake Kakashi, F/M, Genjutsu, Mommy Issues, Not canon obviously, Rabid wolf syndrome, Shukaku has a problem with puppets, Slight time travel throw back, There are no emotionaly sound people in Suna, This Is Essentially A Love Story, This is a tragedy, Will add tags as I go, You Have Been Warned, both post and pre 4th great war, clearly this will not end well, covered with blood and hidden among violence, during peace time, gaara doesn't want to share, kage deception, kinda mommy kink I guess, poisons and drugs, post-saka/saso battle, rape tag just in case, rasa makes too many mistakes, sakura's a mom, sasori has something to lose, semi maj char death, time skip, treaty betrayal, violence cause duh ninjas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:47:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 67
Words: 201,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23855578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireThatFox/pseuds/FireThatFox
Summary: Some say, that when it rains in the desert it is the great Tanuki Shukaku crying out for his lost mate...some say it is the soul of the Kazekage who died still longing for the touch of the only woman he had ever loved, but I believe, it is the the desert himself mourning the loss of his own humanity.The story of Rasa, Sasori, Gaara, the one woman they desperately loved, each in their own way, but failed to protect, and the Wolf that followed her to the ends of their known Earth, in hopes of a salvation forever out of his grasp.
Relationships: Gaara & Haruno Sakura, Gaara/Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura & Rasa, Haruno Sakura & Sasori, Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura/Sasori, Rasa/Sakura Haruno
Comments: 528
Kudos: 319





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please make sure you read tags. Tags will change as story progresses.

“Sakura!” She could hear Gaara calling out her name, his voice desperate as she flew up into the air, her last conscious vision, was her name on his lips.

“Gaara!” She screamed his name but her voice was no more.

‘Gaara’, her mind called out for him because her voice could not.

It was cold and black, there was a pain in the back of her head and it pulsed and throbbed with every beat of her heart. She could feel the sting of her hair on her face as the wind whipped it around relentlessly. Then as if she had entered the eye of the storm, she was surrounded by eerie silence.

That's when she heard it, slow and steady, then fast and erratic...thump thump, thump thump...

Her heart, it was beating...she was alive. No sooner had that thought entered her mind did she hear a deep rasping voice close by ask the same damn thing.

“Is she alive?” It asked, someone she couldn’t see. They were close by she could tell but she didn’t recognize them. Where was Naruto, Gaara, Shisou...were they on the battlefield still, impossible, they wouldn’t take the time to look at her if they were still on the battlefield. Besides, the logical part of her brain interrupted what was sure to turn into pointless rambling in her head...their voices were too calm.

Warm hands moved over her chest and face checking for a heartbeat, a pulse. She could feel the pressure of invasive chakra as it entered her body. She frowned, was it a rookie? They weren’t using nearly enough to give her a proper diagnosis.

Their hands were light and deft however, clearly the hands of a medic nin. She sighed, relaxing.

“She’s alive, but barely Kazekage.” The voice replied.

‘Kazekage?’... her mind repeated the word back to her conscious self.

“Gaara?” Her voice cracked and her eyes snapped open. She coughed, a mistake, a searing pain shot down her throat straight into her esophagus. Big mistake, she groaned in pain, her hand slapped against her chest before her lungs could spasm out of control.

“No, I am his father, Rasa...how do you know my son?” Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, looked down at Sakura with cold black eyes.

“Rasa?” Sakura tried to sit up but fell back down as her arm gave out under her struggling form.

“Address the Kazekage with respect.” The voice from before said firmly but not without kindness.

‘Gaara is the Kazekage’, her mind couldn’t seem to catch up with her ears. She must have hit her head harder than she thought.

“I apologize, Kazekage Sama, it seems I am not quite myself. Forgive me.” Sakura held her head with one hand and peeked up at Rasa with one eye open, the other painfully clenched shut.

Rasa nodded, “Bring her back to Suna, place her in the cart beside me and see that she receives medical care for her injuries. Moderate security. I would like to speak with her once she is more, herself.”

“Yes Kazekage Sama.” 

Sakura heard a shuffling of clothes and what appeared to be sand around her, arms lifted her and carried her to a cart where she was laid down under a canopy to block the sun’s harsh rays. She could feel the softness of a blanket under her fingertips as she clenched and unclenched her hands in pain.

A young man with straw colored hair bent over her in evident concern. Was he the medic nin, she wondered and tried to smile at him but her lips wobbled.

“I’m Yashamaru, I’ll be looking after you. Don’t worry. I’m going to take good care of you.” He smiled kindly at her, his eyes crinkling.

Sakura nodded dumbly at him and turned her head to look at the other man sitting in the cart beside her. His hair was auburn and grew in a spiked sort of way that reminded her of Gaara and her heart sank. She groaned.

Dark eyes looked down at her, the lines of his face set in what seemed to be a permanent frown. Sakura blinked at him with her green eyes and he held her gaze briefly, then looked away toward what she assumed was the road they were on.

Rasa, she said the name over again in her head, Gaara’s father. Her eyes went wide, but...he had died during the invasion of the Leaf during the Chunin exam, her Chunin exam. Where was she? No, her logical brain went to work, when, was she?

Clearly she had been thrown back in time but how far and why was she in Wind? Gaara, he had said he was Gaara’s father, so Gaara had obviously been born but how old, how old was he? Her heart began to race once more and her breathing came up short. She could feel herself choking and the pain in her chest increased.

The last thing she saw was Rasa looking down at her, only this time he was bent over beside her brushing her hair back from her face. Her eyes fastened to his lips, “You’re going to be okay, just breath.” She closed her eyes and saw no more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non canon disclaimer...
> 
> For the Reader’s convenience, a list of ages:
> 
> Rasa- 21
> 
> Yashamaru- 20
> 
> Sasori- 19
> 
> Sakura- 18
> 
> Gaara- 4
> 
> Clearly I have manipulated both time and space to age them as I see fit...muahahaha -insert evil laugh here-  
> Rasa’s wife has still died in childbirth  
> Gaara is still the jinchuriki of the one tail Shukaku  
> Yashamaru isn’t dead...yet, we’ll see how that goes.  
> Sakura is of legal age so no underage hokey pokey weirdness  
> Sasori is closer in age to Rasa because competition is fun and makes the story more interesting  
> *I hope that sets a clear perspective for the fic moving forward.

Blip Blip Blip

Sakura groaned. ‘What the hell was that noise’

Blip Blip Blip

It was driving her mad.

Blip Blip Blip.

Her eyes cracked open. Her vision was blurry. Her eyes were dry and had...sand in them…

Blip Blip Blip

‘So annoying’

Blip Blip Blip

Her hand flew out and hit the offending noise. “Oww!” She withdrew her hand and frowned, what the hell was that. She blinked several times in a row to coax moisture into her field of vision and focused on the machine beside her bed.

Bed?

Sakura sat up and looked around her hospital room.

Hospital?

The beeping had stopped. She sighed in relief and then shrieked when a more offending, louder noise replaced the annoying blipping.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

“The fuck?” She covered her ears as her door flew open and two women entered her room and reconnected the machine to the wall. Apparently she had unplugged it when she had hit it.

Blip Blip Blip

‘Fucking hell’, the noise was back. Sakura groaned and laid back against the pillows of her bed.

“Where am I?” She cracked an eye open and looked at one of the women who had come into her room.

The two women paused and looked back at her over their shoulders, then back to the machine, ignoring her question.

“Excuse me. I asked you a question. Where am I?” She asked them again.

The two women continued to ignore her. 

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” Sakura said more loudly, sitting up again and glaring at them.

The women turned and left the room quickly, turning the lock behind them. Sakura scoffed. As if a lock would keep her anywhere she didn't want to be.

She looked down at her arms where they had inserted an IV into her wrist. She narrowed her eyes and followed the line to a bag hanging by her bed. Saline...she ripped the IV from her wrist and unplugged the machine before it could Blip or Beep at her again.

Moving slowly she swung her feet over the side of the bed and walked to the window and looked outside.

‘Suna’, her breath caught in her throat.

“What the fuck am I doing here, what the hell happened?” She whispered to herself.

“That’s what I would like to know.” A male’s voice spoke behind her.

Sakura spun on her heel reaching for a pack that wasn’t there, her eyes went wide in realization that she was unarmed, chakra flooded to her fists as she took a fighting stance and faced the unknown male who had her cornered in her small hospital room.

“So, you’re a shinobi. I wondered. The pink hair you know, unusual for a kunoichi...or a civilian for that matter.” He spoke lightly as he entered her room and shut the door behind him.

“I introduced myself to you when we found you but you weren’t conscious enough to hear me I don’t think. I’m Yashamaru, the Kazekage’s brother in law. You will be under my care until you are fit to leave the hospital. How are you feeling today?” Yashamaru smiled pleasantly at her, waiting patiently for her to respond.

For the spanse of two breaths, she remained silent. Her head cocked, quite subconsciously to the side, as she looked at the man before her. ‘Yashamaru’, Gaara’s Uncle, whom he had killed when he had tried to assassinate him at the age of six.

Yes, Sakura knew who the man was. Gaara had told her about him, one late night over sake during the war, their war...shit, the war…

Sakura swallowed down her shock, she had to focus on what was in front of her, the man in front of her, one thing at a time she told herself.

“Yashamaru San. It is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance. Forgive me, but I do not know how I got here, in the desert. Thank you for helping me.” She paused.

“I am feeling well, a little dehydrated perhaps, but better than I was when you...found me.” She added, remembering her PR lessons Tsunade Sama had given her when speaking to foreign dignitaries and diplomats.

She bowed stiffly, her eyes never leaving those of Yashamaru.

Yashamaru smiled with genuine pleasure, she was well spoken, a kunoichi and clearly from a good family. He would be the first to admit he was incredibly curious about the woman. She had quite literally fallen from the sky and landed with a sickening thump in front of their caravan. At first they had thought she was dead, but upon further inspection they found that while injured, she was alive. Yashamaru had healed her as much as he could on site and had brought her back to Suna at the Kazekage’s orders where she could be healed by the Suna medics.

“I am very glad to hear that. I apologize for the lack of amenities but the recent wars have left us with very little to rebuild with. I’m sure you understand. It must be the same where you are from.” It was clearly an invitation for her to tell him where she was from, she knew, but she couldn’t even begin to think of where to start, or how to explain her presence because she herself didn’t even know. So, she remained quiet.

Yashamaru waited patiently again for her to speak but he realized after a few awkward moments that she wasn’t going to say anything. 

“Your things are here.” He motioned to a chair beside her bed that she hadn’t had time to notice before his entrance into the room.

Sakura nodded, ignoring the throbbing pain in her knee and leg, refusing to look weak in front of the enemy, for he must be considered as such until proven otherwise.

“You might want to get back into bed, you’re bleeding again. I’m afraid your wounds were rather...extensive.” he said.

In fact, he couldn’t believe she was standing, much less that she had the strength to move as quickly as she had when he had entered the room.

Sakura looked down to find a small puddle of blood beneath her left leg. A small, rapidly growing puddle of blood.

She frowned. ‘Where was the blood coming from’, then she felt it, another jolt of pain shot up her leg. ‘Broken’, the word hit her medical mind and in an instant, she collapsed to the floor, blood pooling out from underneath her.

Sakura gasped for air. ‘Shock’, her annoyingly logical mind told her. Her head was spinning, or was it the room...her eyes focused on something new, something teal. Sakura drew her eyes to fasten on this new object, a set of eyes...a mess of red hair, small little hands gripping the door frame.

“Gaara.” His name escaped her lips as her head fell to the floor and the black enveloped her once again.

Gaara looked down at the woman on the floor, his eyes wide. She had said his name. Gaara watched his Uncle Yashamaru lift the woman up off of the floor, careful of her injuries, and lay her back in the hospital bed.

“Poor thing.” Yashamaru looked down at the pink haired woman with concern in his eyes.

“Who is she?” Gaara walked into the room and stood at the edge of the woman’s bed looking up at her.

“We found her on our journey back to the village. She fell from the sky and landed at our feet. The fall hurt her very badly, we thought she was dead. She should be dead.” Yashamaru told his nephew.

“Don’t worry Gaara. I am going to take care of her.” He smiled down at the little red head who looked like he was going to cry.

Gaara nodded, his eyes fixed on the woman’s hand that had fallen off the side of the bed and hung listlessly in front of his little face. Gaara looked around the room for a chair. He saw one moved to the side of the wall and pulled it over to the side of the woman’s bed and climbed on top of it. He took her hand in his and sat, staring at her face.

Yashamaru watched his little nephew. He had never seen Gaara touch anyone so willingly before...and this woman, was a stranger. Yashamaru took the woman’s temperature and checked her blood pressure. He reattached her IV and plugged in her monitor again.

He ‘tasked’ at the damage she had done to the first aide wraps he had closed her wounds with and cleaned, then re-wrapped them for her.

“Come Gaara, let’s leave her to her rest.” Yashamaru held his hand out to his nephew who didn’t move.

“I want to stay here.” Gaara said quietly, Gaara always spoke quietly.

“She said my name before she went to sleep. I think...she wants me to stay here with her.” Gaara looked at the woman in the bed.

“I don’t think that is wise Gaara, we don’t know who she is or how she came to be in Wind. She is under surveillance by our Anbu, still, it is not wise for you to stay in here with her.” Yashmaru held his hand out to his nephew again.

“I’m staying here.” Gaara insisted.

Yashamaru didn’t move.

“Leave me.” Gaara commanded.

Yashamaru hesitated for a second too long he realized as Gaara’s sand rose up around him, shifting menacingly back and forth effectively separating his Uncle from him and the woman.

“I will come back later to check on you Gaara. Don’t leave the room and if anything should happen, just call out for one of the nurses.” Yashamaru opened the door to the room and looked back over his shoulder at his nephew and the woman and wondered what the young boy’s fascination with her was. ‘Perhaps it’s the pink hair’, he thought and then laughed at himself.

She had said Gaara’s name again, that was the second time since she had come into their possession and Yashamaru couldn’t help but wonder how she knew of the young prince. To his knowledge no one outside of Suna knew of Gaara’s existence and for good reason, he was their hidden weapon, the One tail jinchuriki. 

It was for that reason, the woman had been brought with them at the Kazekage’s orders. He needed to know how she knew not only of his son but knew him by name. It was a matter of village security.

Yashamaru only hoped she had a good reason. Of course, he couldn’t think of a good reason she would know about Gaara. He frowned as he climbed the steps to the Kazekage’s office to report the status of their ‘Guest’.

Gaara sat quietly beside Sakura in his chair. His eyes hadn’t left her face since his Uncle had left the room.

“He’s gone.” Gaara said softly and the woman’s eyes opened immediately.

Sakura looked at the little boy beside her holding her hand. He had known she was awake but the man had not. She smiled at the little boy.

“Gaara, is that you?” She asked, her voice cracked and parched.

“How do you know my name?” He asked her curiously, his eyes wide and excited.

Sakura hesitated, how could she possibly explain her situation to him…

“I had a dream about you Gaara, a dream about you when you were older, but you’re just a boy now.” She smiled at him, he was cute even when he was a little boy.

Her leg throbbed and her head hurt. She needed water. Turning her head to scan the room she saw a pitcher of water on the bed stand. She tried to pull her hand back from Gaara so she could sit up but he held onto it with incredible strength for such a small little guy.

“Gaara, I need my hand. I want to sit up.” She smiled at him.

Gaara squeezed her hand tightly, no one smiled at him, except Yashamaru, not even his father smiled at him. He nodded slowly, releasing her hand.

Sakura pushed herself up into a sitting position, wincing openly at the growing pain in her leg. She poured herself a small glass of water sipping it slowly, then set it back on the bed stand beside the pitcher and pushed down the covers to look at her leg better.

“Don’t worry. My Uncle will fix you.” Gaara looked at her bloodied bandages and the swollen toes that peeked out of the bindings at the bottom.

Sakura smiled at his concern.

“It’s okay Gaara. Can you keep a secret?” Sakura smiled at him.

He nodded.

“I’m a medic nin.” She winked at him and infused her hands with chakra.

Slowly she leaned forward and moved her hands over her broken leg. A pained expression broke out over her face and she began to perspire at her temples but she continued, ignoring the perspiration that was gathering, then dripping down her face.

“It’s. Harder to. Heal yourself.” She bit out to Gaara as she healed herself.

“Much easier. To heal. Others.” She had reached her foot and her chakra flickered out.

Sakura fell back onto the pillows of the bed and smiled a tired smile at Gaara.

“See?” She pointed down at her leg. “All better now.”

Gaara leaned forward and looked at her leg, then up at her sweaty face. Sakura nodded at him and he pulled back the bandages a little at a time until he could see the smooth expanse of her skin. It was clear, dry blood caked and marred her creamy skin, but there was no wound, no swelling...no scar…

“How?” Gaara was amazed, he had never seen healing of this caliber before.

Sakura grinned at his reaction and pointed her thumb at her chest. “Medic nin. It’s our little secret though okay?”

Gaara nodded and covered her leg back up with the covers.

“They’ll see. Yashamaru will know.” He told her.

“You always were such a genius Gaara, even at this age I see that.” She closed her eyes but the smile remained on her face.

Opening her eyes and looking at him again she said, “Yes, they will know, but they won’t be able to prove it, because they’ll never believe I could heal myself, not like that and not that well.”

She knew that Suna was far behind Konoha in even her time, they would be far less advanced now, the thought that she could heal herself and so flawlessly would never cross their minds.

Gaara nodded at her wisdom, looking back at the lump that was her leg under the covers and smiled. She was smart, like him…

Rasa looked up from the pile of never ending paperwork in front of him when his brother in law Yashamaru knocked on the open door of his office and entered.

“Report.” He commanded.

“The woman we found woke up briefly, but reopened her wounds when she fell into a defensive stance. She is a kunoichi and I’m afraid I startled her when I entered her room unannounced. She passed out again from blood loss and shock.” Yashamaru paused and tapped his fingers on the side of his leg.

“Young Gaara...he followed me to the hospital when I had gone to check on her. He...I don’t know how to explain it but he is sitting there now, by her bedside, holding her hand.” Yashamaru said the words as if he didn’t believe them himself.

“She had fallen to the floor from the pain of her broken leg and blood loss, saw him by the doorway of her room and said his name Kazekage Sama. She said it like she knew him, like they had met before. How is such a thing possible?” He asked.

“It isn’t.” Rasa sat back in his chair.

“You say Gaara is there with her now, holding her hand?” He was skeptical, and understandingly so. His son was not known for his sympathy or soft touch.

“Yes Kazekage Sama. I stationed two more Anbu outside of her door for her protection.” Yashamaru added.

Rasa nodded. “Very well, check in on her again within the next hour. Her and Gaara both. Dismissed.”

Yashamaru bowed and left Rasa to ponder this new information.

Rasa sat in his chair behind his desk, his palms flat and pressed against the hard grain of the wood that made up the desktop. He pushed himself up and off of his chair, walking swiftly to the window that lined the Eastern side of his office, and looked toward the hospital.

He made the hand signs for his Third Eye jutsu and connected it to his optic nerve sending it out the open window to the hospital room where he had left the kunoichi earlier. With his chakra, he looked through the window and saw the woman with her eyes closed, laying back against the pillows of her bed. Gaara was indeed beside her, his two small hands over her slightly larger one, resting on the edge of her bed, his head bent and laying on her bed beside her. He was asleep.

Rasa called his Third Eye back and dispelled his jutsu. For years, almost since the boy had been born, he had tried to find a way to control the tailed beast inside of him. For years, he had commanded Anbu around the clock to watch his son and wake him up if he fell asleep after his first rampage at the age of two. For years, he had looked desperately for a way to calm the beast inside his son while he slept and hadn’t found a reliable method.

So desperate had he been and so concerned after the last village wide rampage the council had voted to assassinate Gaara, and rid themselves of the monster they had created. Rasa had reluctantly agreed. Gaara was his son, but he was the Kazekage, he had a whole village to protect.

None of the assassins had been successful however, and the council had grown more and more worried with each new corpse that fell on Sand soil as Gaara’s rampages continued. Rasa had even thought of asking Yashamaru, who was an elite special forces medic shinobi, to assassinate Gaara, but he wasn’t sure if the man would do it, he loved Gaara.

Now, though, he looked back at the hospital window where he had seen his son with the pink haired woman, sleeping by her side, his hands over hers...now, he thought, there may be another solution.

Shukaku didn’t hesitate to take control over his son when his son slept, so why not now. It was clear to Rasa that Gaara had been asleep for at least ten minutes now since he had used his jutsu to look in on him. That was more than enough time for Shukaku to break loose and reek his havoc and death upon Suna. What was stopping him, why wasn’t he taking control of his son now. 

There was only one difference between now and all the other times of chaos...and it was one, injured, mysterious pink haired kunoichi...


	3. Chapter 3

_“Sakura!” Gaara screamed her name, his hand reaching out with his sand trying to grab her, trying desperately to pull her back to him but he couldn’t, he was too far, she was moving too fast and then, she was gone, disappeared into a darkened void, into nothing._

_“Gaara.” She whispered._

_“Gaara, please.” She moaned._

_There was nothing inside the void, just as its name foretold. No light, no dark, just awareness. The feeling, the sense of existing. Sakura tried in vain to ‘see’, to ‘touch’, but none of her senses were available to her. There was nothing. This was truly a void._

_Her conscious loomed, floated, or simply stayed. She couldn’t decide which word best suited her situation. A soundless humour escaped her and she realized ‘she’ existed. Was it her soul? She shook what would have been her head if she could feel it moving but she couldn’t._

_Such an odd feeling of not feeling anything, of hearing nothing and seeing nothing not even darkness._

_“Sakura.” A voice breathed her name out._

_“Come child.” The same voice breathed in and she felt the need, the overwhelming desire to ‘obey’._

_Her will moved her, her mind propelled her...onward to...something._

_“Do you want to go back?” She moved among the nothing._

_“Yes, please. I need to go back. I need to help them, they need me.” Sakura willed her thoughts, her desires to be known, to be._

_“Want is not need, those trivial things are nothing here.” The voice exhaled and it was heavy, like a burden, too heavy for her to hold in and so she, for the voice was light and whimsical, exhaled._

_“I want to go back, to those I love, where they need me most.” Sakura moved her words around, changed their meanings to better suit her...desires?_

_“Love never changes Sakura, real love never ages. Devotion, loyalty and love, is timeless.” The voice moved around her, she felt herself, ‘becoming’._

_“Timeless Sakura dear, do you understand?” Breathe in._

_“I understand.” Sakura willed her voice to move, project. Breath out._

Thump thump. Thump thump.

_“I understand, please. Send me back to those I love and to those who love me.” Breathe in._

_“One can not exist without the other.” Breathe out._

_“What one?” Sakura asked. Stop breathing…_

_“There can be only one, the choice is yours.” Breathe in._

_“Yes. Thank you.” Breathe out._

Thump thump. Thump thump.

...she was falling, the sun peirced the pains behind her eyes, the world spun around her, the wind pulled on her arms and legs and then sand, so much fucking sand. 

_“Release your seal.” Breath in._

_“Release!” Breathe out._

_Black. Enter the void._

“Kazekage Sama! What was that! I think, oh kami I think it’s a woman!” Yashamaru’s voice rang clear through her head.

Sakura groaned. ‘Yes. A woman. I’m alive.’

Beep. Beep. Beep.

‘So annoying’

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Sakura flung her arm out striking something hard. “Ow.”

“Sakura.” A little voice came from her bedside.

Sakura opened her eyes to find a little body with little hands trying to capture her flailing one. She immediately stilled her struggles.

“Gaara.” She exhaled.

She remembered. ‘To those you love and to those who love you’

She rubbed her head, she could feel a migraine coming on. The bed moved slightly under her and she realized she had closed her eyes again without meaning to. She opened them to see a small Gaara trying to pour a large glass of water for her.

“Why don’t you use your sand Gaara?” She asked him curiously.

Gaara dropped the pitcher and it shattered on the ground.

“How do you know about my sand?” He asked, eyes wide and worried she would be scared of him now like everyone else.

“It would be easier for you, to just use your sand to pour yourself a glass of water right?” She asked him curiously.

“I didn’t want to frighten you.” He poked and tugged at the hem of his tunic shyly looking up at her through his spiky red fringe.

“The water was for you. You were moaning in your sleep. I thought...you might want some water.” He looked up at her with a small hesitant smile on his cherub face.

“Gaara, you are so adorable!” She smiled joyously at him pulling him to her by the arm and hugging him to her chest without thinking.

His sand flew up around him sensing danger but when he realized she wasn’t going to hurt him, when he realized she was trying to...hug him, the sand fell in sheets around them, onto the floor, the bed and the hospital equipment.

Gaara fell into Sakura’s arms and she gathered him up to her chest and hugged him soundly just as three Suna Anbu leapt through the door, and the windows.

“Kunoichi, are you alright?” The first masked Anbu asked her quickly.

“Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?” Sakura had moved Gaara around to her side and was half out of the bed before they had landed fully in her room.

She relaxed and pulled the covers back up and around her chest now that she realized she and Gaara weren’t in any danger.

“We heard a disturbance and thought, thought there might be trouble.” The second masked Anbu said in a hurry, eyes averted from Gaara who was sitting beside Sakura on her bed.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle Gaara, I assure you I meant him no harm.” Sakura realized her mistake. 

She wasn’t in her time, this wasn’t her time’s Suna who knew her, trusted her. This was the past before Naruto, Tsunade and Kakashi had formed bonds and created bridges of trust between Konoha and Suna. Here, she was the enemy.

“Please forgive me.” Sakura bowed as low as was possible from a sitting position in a hospital bed.

“You misunderstand us kunoichi, we feared for your safety, not the young lords.” The third masked Anbu said.

“Oh.” She said weakly. Realization dawned on her.

“Well, that’s just silly, I’m fine. Aren’t we Gaara?” She ruffled his red spiky locks and he smiled shyly up at her nodding his head.

“See? Everything's fine Anbu san, but thank you very much.” Sakura smiled in what she hoped was a kind manner at the Anbu.

“Gaara, come here.” 

The Anbu bent a knee in the presence of the Kazekage.

Gaara looked at his father with a hard look and climbed down from the bed to stand before him.

“Go find Yashamaru, he has been looking for you.” Raza pushed his son out the door before he could protest.

A little whirlwind of sand spun across the floor and lifted into the air in the form of a cloud and settled onto Sakura’s lap in the shape of a blossom, a sakura blossom comb.

“Aww.” Sakura cooed, taking the small comb and putting it in her hair.

She looked up smiling to see an odd expression on the Kazekage’s face, her smile fell.

“I beg your pardon Kazekage Sama.” Sakura was ashamed she knew better than to act like a doddering idiot in front of foriegn dignitaries and kages, Tsunade had taught her better than that.

“You aren’t afraid of Gaara’s sand?” Rasa asked Sakura suspiciously.

“No.” Her green eyes shone brightly and she blinked several times.

“You may leave us. See that my son finds his Uncle Yashamaru.” Rasa dismissed his Anbu with a wave of his hand.

“You’re a very unusual kunoichi Sakura Haruno.” Rasa stood at the end of her hospital bed and looked down at her.

“I am?” Sakura wasn’t sure what to say, he didn’t even know the half of it.

“What village are you from?” He asked lightly, but it was a loaded question she understood all too well.

“I don’t remember.” She frowned, thinking furiously. She couldn’t tell him Konoha. Nor could she tell him from the future.

She must have looked sufficiently genuine because he continued to his next question.

“How old are you?” 

“What?” She cocked her head to the side. “I mean, why does it matter?” She amended her less than sophisticated answer.

“I am merely curious, my son is quite taken with you, I wonder, if perhaps you have children of your own?” Rasa inquired.

Sakura laughed out loud, but remembered herself. Amnesia was as good an excuse as any.

“I don’t think so. I’m eighteen I believe. I don’t think I’m married. I would hope I would have remembered that at least.” She laughed nervously.

“You don’t remember?” He asked her.

“It’s an easy excuse I know, but there isn’t anything else I can say. I don’t remember. Thank you by the way, for bringing me with you and getting me medical care. Yashamaru, your brother in law? He told me it was on your order that I was cared for.” She tried to bow from her bed as low as possible to show her gratitude and respect.

Rasa inclined his head to her gracefully.

“My headband!” She put her hand to her head but her forehead was bare.

“We didn’t find a headband with you, we searched your things of course and found nothing that would tell us of your origins or affiliations.” He told her.

“Oh.” Sakura was relieved but hoped she sounded significantly more disappointed than she felt.

Rasa continued to stand at the base of her hospital bed. He could tell she was deep in thought but her facial expressions, which were transparent to his eyes, showed no evidence of deceit, only confusion, nervousness and sorrow. All things he would imagine someone like her in her position would genuinely feel. It made him feel somewhat better.

“Kazekage Sama.” Yashamaru entered the room followed closely by Gaara who hopped up onto the chair and then onto the bed to snuggle up to Sakura without invitation.

Sakura put her arm around the little boy and hugged him close kissing the top of his red head fondly, just like she used to do when he was older and they would share a bed. It was out of habit and she had only realized she had done something odd when she looked up to see Yashamaru and the Kazekage looking at her and Gaara each with their own look of surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try for longer chapters after this , or from now on rather.


	4. Chapter 4

Gaara held onto Sakura’s hand as his Uncle checked her vitals. 

Rasa had left with his Anbu, something needed his attention. Sakura smiled thinking of her Gaara, from her time. A Kazekage’s job was never done.

“Your vitals are steady, that’s good. I would like to check your leg again if you don’t mind, has it been bleeding again or bothering you excessively? I can get you some pain killers if the pain is too great.” Yashamaru lifted Gaara up from her bedside and set him in the chair that was still leaning against her mattress. He doubted she needed or wanted painkillers, she seemed to have a rather high pain tolerance, but her actions earlier could have been a result of shock, he reminded himself.

Sakura and Gaara shared a look.

“My leg is fine Yashamaru San.” Sakura didn’t see any other way around it. She had been thinking it over in her head since he had left her hospital room previously and knew he wouldn’t settle for ‘I don’t know’, when it came to the sudden healing powers of her leg. She would have to tell him.

“I am a medic nin.” She tried to smile at him.

“You are?” Yashamaru didn’t even try to hide his surprise. Medic nin were rare and more so ones that were trained well in combat. From what little he had seen of the woman before him, she was a well trained kunoichi with excellent reflexes.

“May I look at your leg?” He was curious to see how well she had healed herself. As a medic, he knew how trying and how difficult it was to heal one's own injuries versus others, much less do it well.

“Of course.” Sakura waved her hand at her leg in invitation.

“Gaara, please wait outside. I will call you back in after I have inspected Haruno San’s injury.” Yashamaru smiled at his little nephew who looked back up at him with unblinking eyes.

“I want to stay.” Gaara said quietly.

“Gaara, I would like you to wait outside, for the lady's modesty.” Yashamaru said a bit more sternly.

“Yashamaru San, Gaara has already seen my leg, he was here when I healed it.” Sakura offered, which made Gaara smile. She knew how much he disliked being left out of things he thought were his business as an adult and assumed it would be the same now as well.

“Oh, well, if you don’t mind then he may stay.” Yashamaru tilted his head to the side...what an odd kunoichi.

Sakura nodded her head bringing him back to the task at hand. Yashamaru carefully lifted the blanket over just enough to see that her leg was unwrapped and that it was indeed healed.

“My gosh, there isn’t even a scar.” Yashamaru’s eyes were wide as they looked from Sakura to her leg, then back up to her again.

“See? Medic nin.” Sakura smiled.

“Yes I can see that but...there isn’t even a scar and you did this while I was gone? So quickly and so…” He couldn’t believe it.

Yashamaru turned to look at his nephew. The boy had been here when she had healed herself and he hadn’t told him. Gaara wasn’t looking at his uncle and didn’t see his scrutiny, he was looking at Sakura. 

“I’m sorry Yashamaru San. I wasn’t trying to deceive you. I don’t remember a lot before you found me, only that I had been falling from, darkness. I woke to the sound of your voice, you and the Kazekage Sama’s voice.” She explained.

“Ah yes, well. It looks like you are healthy enough and clearly you are healed enough to leave the hospital but...well.” He was a bit embarrassed. “We weren’t expecting you to recover so quickly, we don’t have any rooms prepared for you yet. If you’ll excuse me. I will take care of that now.” 

Yashamaru hesitated as he looked at Gaara who was still looking at the woman in the bed. “Ah…”

“He can stay with me. I don’t mind.” Sakura didn’t wait for Yashamaru to comply. She held her arms out to Gaara who used his sand to lift himself from his chair and lower himself down into the bed beside her, where she gathered him up in her arms and kissed the top of his head again.

“Does his sand not bother you?” Yashamaru blurted out in surprise before he could stop himself.

“Of course not.” Sakura looked up at the sandy haired man before her. She understood his surprise. She had only been twelve when she had first met Gaara of the Sand, but she remembered...the fear, the insanity.

“You don’t seem at all surprised that he can control and manipulate sand.” Yashamaru said, suspiciously.

“His father the Kazekage does, I would expect him to be able to. Is it not more common in the royal family?” Sakura feigned ignorance.

“No, it is not common at all actually.” Yashamaru gave her one last questing look before turning to the door of her room.

“I will see to your rooms, please excuse me.” and he left her and Gaara alone together.

“That went better than I thought it would.” She told Gaara once the door to her room had closed.

Gaara nodded solemnly at her side, his teal eyes soft and full of childlike understanding. It was very strange seeing Gaara as a child. At first it had been comforting, someone familiar in a sea of sudden upheaval but now that her mind had settled a bit, it too was unsettling. Her once strong and handsome adult lover, was a four year old boy.

Sakura threw her legs over the side of the hospital bed and padded barefoot across the tiled floor to the chair with her clothes on it. Turning back to Gaara she made a little twirly motion with her finger. “I need to get dressed, Gaara, turn around please. Gaara nodded and turned his head politely to look at the opposite wall.

Stripping quickly, she pulled her jounin pants on, then her shirt. “Okay Gaara.”

Gaara turned back round, scooted to the edge of the bed and rested his chin on his hands, with his elbows on his knees as he watched her zip up her green flack jacket.

Sakura bit her bottom lip as she took a hair tie from her flack jacket pocket and tied her hair back from her face. It had grown a bit during the war. There hadn’t been anytime to cut it, she had grown accustomed to tying it back like she did now or tightening it as she rolled off her sleeping cot for emergencies. No one cared what they looked like with a war going on.

Walking quickly to the bathroom that was attached to her room she splashed water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror. There were little smudges under her jaw, a scratch or two on her chin and cheek and her hair was oily from not washing it several days before they had been ambushed.

The ambush, oh kami, she hoped Gaara and the others were alright. She leaned against the sink, her head hung low as she thought of all the loved ones she had left…’Behind’. She lifted her head and looked at herself once more in the mirror. Slowly, she rubbed the towel over her face cleaning the smudges and grime from her skin.

One finger glowed over the scratches and they disappeared. Satisfied she turned to look at the rest of herself in the little mirror and froze. Her dress, her uniform was clearly Konoha. Why hadn’t they said anything, or asked her about it she wondered. Perhaps they were waiting for the right moment…

“Haruno San should be placed close to the main house.” Yashamaru stood before the Kazekage who nodded.

“Gaara’s Anbu will be thrilled no doubt.” Rasa said as he rubbed his chin.

“I wonder though, my son seems to have taken to the woman, odd don’t you think…” Rasa tapped his finger on the edge of his desk.

“Her healing skills, Rasa, they are...unheard of. I doubt even Lady Tsunade could compare to her healing abilities. I can’t even begin to imagine where she might have learned such a skill.” Yashamaru was truly baffled and beside himself.

“I am more interested in her ability to calm and placate my son.” Rasa turned in his seat and looked out the window of the Kazekage’s office toward the hospital.

“A kunoichi with unheard of healing abilities, pink hair, amnesia and she fell out of the sky as if from nowhere…” Rasa clasped his hands in front of him, turned and set them on his desk facing his brother in law.

“Her clothes are even odd. They looked similar to a jounin of Konoha didn’t they. I wonder...send a caravan of merchants out with high priced expendable goods, enough to attract attention, Yashamaru, to Konoha. Give them enough information on our ‘new acquisition’, and have them spread the word of her discovery. Let us sit back and see...if Konoha reacts.” Rasa turned back to the window.

“...and her healing abilities, should I let that leak to the merchants as well?” Yashamaru didn’t like this idea, they didn’t know enough about the woman to put her in such danger, what if there was someone hunting her, what if it brought trouble to Suna. She was not their responsibility.

“Yes. I need to know more about her. The more unusual a picture we paint of her, the more interest it will garner, the more talk it will draw out...” Rasa’s mind was working in overdrive. He had plans already forming in his head, plans on how to best utilize this woman who had fallen out of the sky and into their lives.

“She could be innocent Rasa.” Yashamaru began. He had mixed feelings on this means of discovering more about the woman. She wasn’t their responsibility but on the other hand she was, they had found her, took her in and...Yashamaru felt there was more than a little truth to her. She didn’t seem like a spy or up to anything malicious. The woman had nearly died in front of them. If treated well, she could be a great asset to the Sand...with healing like that...who knew what other skills she hadn’t had the opportunity to show them yet.

“No one is innocent Yashamaru. She is a shinobi. She was born to bleed like the rest of us. The war is over, but the struggle has just begun. She is a healer you say? She will be useful to us. Her unusual pull on my son...bothers me. I need to know more about her and I will. I need to find out how she knew of my son when I have taken great pains to keep him a secret. Go, send the merchants, make sure they are trusted ones and send...one jounin with them for protection.”

“Where should I put the kunoichi Rasa, in the cottage behind the main house? Where Gaara’s last nanny lived before he killed her?” Yashamaru asked.

Rasa nodded. “Yes. I want her close. I don’t trust her. She will need to be watched. Have...Ryu watch her, he should be skilled enough to watch one kunoichi.” 

“Yes Kazekage.” Yashamaru bowed himself out of the room.

Green eyes looked around the small cottage. She hadn’t remembered there being a cottage here the last time she had visited Suna, before the war. The last time she had been to Suna was...when the Akatsuki had taken and killed Gaara...when...Sasori.

Sakura swallowed hard. He wasn’t here. He had to be gone, he had to have left the village by now. Rasa was what, twenty one, twenty two? So Sasori would be nineteen or twenty? He had left his village when he was fifteen. She sighed in relief, no he wasn’t here. It would have been too much for her, too much to come face to face with him, with Sasori of the Red Sand, here now after what she had been through.

There was a gentle tugging on her sleeve and she looked down to see little Gaara looking up at her, his arms stretched up.

“You’re a little big for that aren’t you?” Weren’t little kids too old to be carried around at age four? She looked down at the boy who had his arms raised to her...waiting patiently for her to pick him up.

“Okay.” She smiled and bent to lift him up into her arms. He wrapped his little legs around her waist and his arms around her neck burying his face in her hair and sighed.

Sakura froze. He was the same. It was the comfort value, the gesture, the trust...it made her miss her Gaara...she bit her lip. This was so disturbing to her she didn’t know quite what to think. How many times had her Gaara done just that but in a more...sexual way, a more playful and intimate way.

It was torture almost, the most cruel kind of torture. He was the same and yet...he was a child.

Yashamaru watched the kunoichi’s face in alarmed fascination. She couldn’t be a spy. She would make a horrible spy. Everything she thought and felt showed openly on her face. The emotion there was both reassuring in its simplicity and disturbing in it’s levity. She was hiding something, but he didn’t know if it was the thing every shinobi hid such as feelings of a personal nature, or if it was harmful to him, to Gaara or to Suna.

“I will send a maid over to assist you with the cleaning.” Yashamaru ran his finger over one of the table tops. His finger made a clear trail through the sand and dust that seemed to cover every surface in the small cottage.

“There is a garden in the back, you may use it as you wish.” He continued through the cottage to the back door where she could see a bit of green.

“It is mostly dead.” He apologized.

“Gaara’s last nanny has been gone for a while and we are unable to find a new one that suits his needs. The cottage has been vacant for quite some time.” He explained.

“Why? Why are you doing this for me?” She had been surprised when he had come back to her in her hospital room to tell her they had a cottage for her, that she could stay in and use as hers. She had noticed it was close to the Kazekage’s family house and wondered still at their intentions.

“You are the best healer I have ever encountered. You have nowhere to go by your own admission, you don’t remember where you are from. We don’t know you and you don’t know us but...you seem to know young Gaara here.” Yashamaru paused. He wasn’t sure what or how much the Kazekage wanted him to tell her.

“Gaara is special, as you apparently know. It is hard to find people he...will interact with. This cottage is vacant. There is a place to fill and you are in need of...something, why not see if it is here?” He tried to smile, but his worry must have shown through because the woman cocked her head at him.

“There’s something you’re not telling me, but I understand. I’m not offended. I don’t know where I’m from, I have no people and I fell out of the sky into your lap.” She laughed lightly.

“You mentioned my healing skills and my...interactions with Gaara. I’m not much of a nanny I’ll admit but I am a healer. I can help out in your hospital and be a friend to Gaara. If that is what you are trying to ask me.” She raised a pink eyebrow at him.

Yashamaru smiled. She was indeed an odd woman, an odd kunoichi. She held herself like a man, she spoke with confidence and training...and she was beautiful.

“Yes. I do not know exactly what the Kazekage has planned for you but no doubt he will inform you of it soon. Please, make yourself at home. If you need anything uh…” He didn’t wish to offend her, she was handling this so well.

“I’ll just ask my Anbu guard?” She smirked at him.

“It is protocol, we mean no offense.” He said quickly.

“I would be severely disappointed if you hadn’t assigned a guard to me.” She waved his apology off, she had expected it.

“Ah. I’ll leave you then uh, Gaara, he will want to…” Yashamaru trailed off leaving his sentence open for her to tell him what she wanted.

“He can stay with me. Do you know how to clean Gaara?” Sakura hoisted the little boy up higher into her arms and shifted his weight to her hip with a smile.

He nodded his little spiky red head at her and sucked on his finger.

“We’re good.” She turned her smile on Yashamaru and winked.

“I will check on you later then.” Yashamaru smiled at her, pausing to take one last look at the strange picture before him, a small pain or regret in his eyes. 

His sister had never gotten to hold her child like this woman was now, had never gotten to love Gaara the way he had deserved to be loved. It made him happy to see little Gaara so happy. He only hoped it was real, that Gaara and perhaps this woman could find a place together, here among the people of Suna, Gaara’s people...his people.

Gaara seemed so attached to the woman already. What if her memory returned to her one day and she wanted to leave...what would Gaara do...what would Rasa be forced to do...Yashamaru pushed those thoughts from his mind as he left the cottage to find one of the main house’s maids. There was time for that later he told himself.

“Well, let’s finish exploring shall we? Although it isn’t that big…” Sakura set Gaara down on the floor beside her and took his hand in hers moving around the small main room opening and closing cupboards and storage bins.

“So your old nanny lived here?” Sakura asked Gaara as they moved to explore her new bedroom.

Gaara nodded.

“Was she old? Did she pass away?” Sakura asked kindly.

“I killed her.” Gaara watched her intently, gauging her reaction.

Sakura’s hand stilled on the closet door she had just slid open and turned round to look at the small boy.

“You killed her?” She asked him and he nodded.

If Sakura hadn’t known Gaara and known his history, such a calmly stated statement from the little boy with the cherub face may have shocked and frightened her...however, she did know his history, and knew him quite well in fact. Well enough to see the small shiver of anticipation in his eyes, the twitch of his fingers at his side to know, he was waiting...waiting for her to freak out and run from the room...and he would chase her with his sand and subdue her. 

He had told her of it many times as they had laid in bed together. He had held her in his arms and whispered all of his regrets to her. She had been his confidant, his release, his mate.

The small boy before her was not her mate, but he was the same mind, the same one tailed jinchuuriki that he had once been in her time.

“Gaara, listen to me okay?” She knelt down in front of the little boy and took his small hands in her slightly larger ones.

Gaara’s heart beat quickly in his chest. She wasn’t running. She wasn’t screaming. She was...holding his hands.

“If you ever get the urge to kill, to...destroy again, come find me okay? That is not the way to handle...things. I will teach you how to control...your anger, your hurt. Come to me from now on. Promise me Gaara.” Sakura ducked her head to look the small boy in the eye.

Gaara looked at the woman holding his hands and blinked twice. She wanted to help him? Did she know? Did she know about his dreams, his nightmares? He barely understood them himself and she knew? A fog of darkness moved behind his eyes. A low growling murmur filled his brain. He was nodding slowly to appease the plea in her green eyes, he was smiling softly at the smile at the corners of her mouth.

‘That’s it boy, trust her, she’s the one...she will heal us...only she can help us…’ The rumble faded and the dark fog left his eyes.

“Thank you Gaara, for giving me a chance.” Sakura hugged the little boy to her breast. She wouldn’t let him hurt this time, she wouldn’t let him fall prey to his demon this time. This time she was here for him, now..before the madness could take over his heart, this time she was here when he needed her most.

_“I want to go back, to those I love, where they need me most.”_

Her own words came back to her from the void. Is this why? Is this why she was sent to this time…is this when Gaara needed her most?


	5. Chapter 5

Ryu watched Yashamaru Sama leave the kunoichi and the young lord in the cottage, he watched the young woman and the young lord move around the small cottage together...it was strange to him. 

Everyone in Suna knew what their Kazekage had done to his youngest son for the village. Rasa’s devotion to his village, to his title, had never been questioned. He commanded the loyalty of his citizens not through fear, but respect.

Ryu knew that the council had been divided on sealing the ichibi inside young Gaara. He also knew that the Kazekage’s wife had been against it. The village didn’t know the reasons for her objections but Ryu could see the wisdom and sentimentality of both sides on that argument.

Young Gaara had fallen to Shukaku’s mad desires at the tender age of two. It had been horrifying, a nightmare incarnate. Blood flowed through the streets, thousands had died brutal deaths. The Kazekage had been horrified, his resolve faltered. The young lord had not been allowed to sleep regularly since the night of his first rampage.

Like the rest of Suna, Ryu had given the young jinchuriki a wide berth after his rampage. The boy didn’t seem to understand the change around him, and Ryu doubted that his father or either of his Uncle’s had bothered explaining why everyone around him had changed. 

The boy had become withdrawn, quiet and more reserved since the attack. He no longer smiled, laughed or asked questions and Ryu couldn’t help but feel they had all made a mistake, that they were the source of their own demise and that it was their own faults that this boy...was how he was. 

It wasn’t his place to think such thoughts, to have such opinions and certainly not his place to voice them, so he remained quiet and contemplative, watchful and aware. He was pleased that the Kazekage had chosen him to watch the woman, seeing the young lord smile again gave him hope. Seeing the young woman treat the boy with kindness warmed his heart. 

Perhaps it wasn’t a lost cause, perhaps in time, the boy could find peace and be the protector of Suna that his father had intended him to be. Ryu could only hope as he settled down on the roof of the small cottage and listened to the voices of the woman and the boy inside.

Rasa stood at the gate and watched the small caravan of merchants depart. They would head West toward Konoha, stopping at each small village, each minor outcrop along the way to speak openly about the pink haired woman who had fallen out of the sky and had fallen at the feet of the Kazekage. 

By instruction, they would spread the word of her incredible healing abilities, her kunoichi skills and her amnesia in hopes of attracting as much attention to themselves as possible.

It wouldn’t be hard. The truth was a fantastic story, little embellishment was needed on the merchants part. Their job was easy as far as Rasa was concerned and they were being paid well to do it. The Anbu Rasa had sent them disguised as a fellow merchant would listen to the talk, would gather information on any interest the merchants drew and report back to Rasa via hawk.

The Kazekage understood Yashamaru’s apprehension and concerns but he didn’t have time for such useless sentimentality. He needed to act, he needed to use this new valuable asset to its fullest. He needed more information from her, about her and quickly. 

His brother Sasori was expected back home soon and would be interested in the kunoichi’s healing abilities he was sure. Rasa wanted a decent plan in effect before Sasori could take control of the situation and make him look bad. Rasa frowned, his damn brother was always making him look bad.

Sakura looked cross eyed at the wooden tub in front of her. “How the hell am I supposed to fill it?” She looked around the small bathroom for a tap.

“From the well.” Gaara looked at her with an odd expression on his small face.

“Do you not have bathtubs where you are from?” He was surprised, she had seemed clean in her person if not a bit dirty from her travels.

“Sakura laughed. “We do but we have something called indoor plumbing.” Sakura smiled down at Gaara. 

“We have that.” Gaara looked at her and smiled, pleased he could give her good news.

“But…” Sakura waved at the tub.

“The cottage doesn’t.” Gaara giggled at her exasperated expression.

Sakura sighed. “Of course it doesn’t.” She pursed her lips in annoyance and glared at the offending tub because it taunted her with its very existence.

“I will tell Yashamaru to have plumbing installed in the cottage for you.” Gaara took her hand and held onto it pulling her from the bathroom. “I want to go to the garden now.”

“We aren’t done cleaning yet though.” Sakura tried to pull her hand from his grasp.

“We’re done now, I want to go to the garden.” Gaara glared at her and pulled on her hand with more vigor.

“No Gaara, we need to finish cleaning, the maid hasn’t come yet. I don’t want to sleep on a dusty futon tonight.” Sakura infused a bit of light chakra to her hand and yanked it from his grasp.

Gaara stared at his empty hand, his bottom lips quivered and his eyes grew hard. Sand rose up into the air around him. “Give me your hand.” He commanded her.

“Man, you weren’t kidding when you told me you were a spoiled little brat.” Sakura put her hands on her hips and raised a delicate pink eyebrow to the boy.

“I’m not a spoiled little brat!” Gaara growled as his sand shot out toward her intending to bind her arms to her sides, he would take her hand by force if he had to, she would learn to obey him…

“Oh no you don’t!” Sakura infused her hands with her chakra and deflected the stream of sand he had shot out at her. “Knock that shit off Gaara, who do you think I am?”

Gaara’s sand stream split down the middle and flew outward from her hands to crash against the walls of the bathroom and fall to the floor.

“Now look at the mess you’ve made. You’re going to clean that up, I hope you know.” Sakura shook her head and rolled her eyes at the growling redhead. “And stop growling at me Shukaku or I swear I’ll cut your tail off and shove it up your ass the next time you come out to play, got it?”

Gaara blinked at her in surprise. “Shukaku?” He asked her, his growling ceased as he looked at her in query.

“Yeah, the one tail, you’re the jinchiriki, you know?” Sakura gave the boy an odd look. He knew...didn’t he?

Gaara looked at her, his eyes wide, “Jinchuriki?” He asked her a slight pain in his eyes, ‘Was that the voice in his head’, he wondered.

“You...didn’t know?” Sakura bit her lip…’Oh shit’, he didn’t know?

Gaara shook his head. “Why aren’t you scared of me, like everyone else is?” He was confused. She hadn’t cowered, she hadn’t run or yelled for help. She had yelled at him and defended herself against his sand...effortlessly.

“Oh Gaara.” Sakura’s voice shook with sympathy and sadness. She wasn’t prepared for this, to face this side of him, to see this pain in his eyes first hand. When they had been together he had accepted and over come this part of his life, he had changed, had gained the love and respect of his people then, but now...he was hurting, he was confused and angry and alone and she just wasn’t prepared to deal with this, didn’t know how to, didn’t know what to say.

“Come here Gaara. I want to hold you.” Sakura dropped down to her knees and held her arms out to the little boy. Gaara hesitated for a second, then walked slowly into her arms and laid his head on her shoulder. Sakura’s arms came around his little frame and hugged him close, he closed his eyes and sighed. ‘Was this love?’, he wondered.

Ryu had dropped down from the roof of the cottage when he had felt the young lord’s chakra fluctuate, he had watched through the window and had seen the woman raise her hands to the stream of rapidly moving sand without fear. He had stood amazed that she had not only defended herself against the boy’s wrath but hadn’t been scared or angry with the boy, had held her arms out to the boy with a look of such sadness in her eyes that he had to look away for a moment. He felt like an interloper, an intruder, like he didn’t belong there to witness something so raw and pure.

His head had swam at her words though. She knew that Gaara was the one tailed jinchuuriki. She knew the one tail’s name and she wasn’t frightened of it. In fact she seemed to know him, personally, had threatened him as if...she had done it many times before and had expected acceptance if not obedience from the one tail. Ryu didn’t know what to think, this was...unbelievable.

Ryu had to tell the Kazekage, Immediately.

Rasa stood with his back straight , facing out toward Suna as Ryu told him what had taken place moments ago in the small cottage by their house. Rasa turned and faced Ryu. He saw clearly the look of astonishment and confusion on his face. He saw hope and wonder...this was bad, this was a risk. Had Rasa known the woman would act this way, had known so much about his son and his tailed beast he never would have sent an Anbu to tail her. No one must find out about this.

“Thank you Ryo. Please go to Baki San, he will wipe your memory.” The Kazekage turned his back on the Anbu and looked out the window, toward the cottage.

Ryu stood there for a moment, his words caught in his throat, his protest willing it’s way up and out of his mouth.

“You understand don’t you?” Rasa stopped the words from coming.

“No one should know about the one tail aside from Suna and this woman, this kunoichi...does. No one must know what you have discovered. It is not my lack of faith in you Ryu. I know you are loyal to me. I can not, for my son, for Suna, take the slightest risk of anyone finding out what you have found out today.” Rasa spoke without turning around. “Dismissed.”

“Yes Kazekage Sama.” Ryu understood.

She had deflected Gaara’s sand with her hands...she hadn’t been frightened or scared of the sand...she was a medic nin with rare and unheard of healing abilities. “Just who the hell are you Sakura Haruno?” Rasa asked out loud.

“Someone is coming.” Gaara looked over Sakura’s shoulder at the door of the cottage.

Knock knock

“You have excellent sensory skills.” Sakura smiled down at Gaara. ‘Just like your adult self’, she muttered to herself.

“Hello Mistress.” A young girl not much younger than Sakura herself bowed low. “My name is Megumu. I am here to clean your cottage.”

“So nice of you to come, Megumu, thank you very much. Please come in.” Sakura smiled brightly at the young girl who smiled back at her.

“We were just finishing cleaning the bathroom but…” Sakura’s voice died in her throat as Meugumu screamed and ran from the cottage.

“What the hell?” Sakura turned around the room quickly, looking for danger but found none.

Gaara shifted his feet and looked at the ground.

“Oh.” Sakura sighed. “We don’t need her, do we Gaara, we were doing fine on our own hum?” She smiled at the redhead and took his hand.

Gaara smiled up at her pleased she wasn’t mad at him for scaring the girl away.

“You wanted to go to the garden right? Let’s grab the futon then and hang it up in the garden to air out. We can beat the dust off of it while we’re at it.” Sakura slid open the storage cupboard in the bedroom and pulled the bedding out piece by piece.

“Ugh, these will need to be washed and hung out to dry while we’re at it.” She walked with the bedding in her arms and threw it on the ground outside of the sliding door.

Walking back inside, followed closely by Gaara she lifted the futon up and over her head with a bit of chakra and brought it outside as well. Looking around she spotted the outdoor wash tub and clothes line...she sighed. “Really, what are we, in the feudal era?”

“Where is the well Gaara?” She huffed and blew a lock of hair out of her eyes.

Gaara pointed to a small covered well in the corner of the garden.,

“Right, well help me fill this tub won’t you?” She motioned to the well and the bucket beside it.

Gaara nodded. His hand lifted in the air and picked the bucket up with his sand, carried it to the well and dunked it, lifting the now full bucket up with his sand he emptied it into the washtub. Again and again he repeated the process until the tub was full while Sakura punched and kicked the dust off of her futon mattress against the garden fence.

“That wasn’t nearly as satisfying as I had hoped it would be.” She smiled down at Gaara and flipped the mattress to beat the other side free of dust and sand.

“We have training grounds you can use.” Gaara offered her a new release.

“I might take you up on that. Let’s start the wash though, I’ll need sheets and blankets tonight. The desert gets cold when the sun goes down if I recall.” She pulled the bedding from the ground where she had dropped it earlier and threw it into the tub.

“Uh, did you see any soap in the cottage Gaara?” She asked him and he shook his head.

They had spent most of their time dusting and hadn’t needed any soap yet, but now she did.

“I’ll go get some.” Gaara disappeared in a whirl of sand.

“I’ve never seen my son so accommodating before.” Rasa’s voice surprised Sakura and she jumped.

“Oh! Kazekage Sama.” Sakura laughed embarrassed that she had been caught unaware.

“Not a sensory nin I see.” Rasa commented without insult, merely stating a fact.

“Uh, no. I’m afraid I’m not.” Sakura bowed low to the Kazekage who inclined his head to her in acknowledgement. 

“Gaara has been very helpful.” Sakura smiled at the Kazekage.

“You speak of my son with such familiarity and yet, I know you have never met him before now. It would be impossible for you to have met him before, he has never left the village and I have never seen you before. You’ve never been to Suna before.” Rasa was watching her like a hawk watches its prey.

Sakura didn’t respond so he continued.

“How do you know of my son? You called out for him several times on our way back to the village after we found you, and you are more comfortable around him than...even I am.” Rasa’s hard expression grew even harder.

“I don’t know how to explain it but…” Sakura paused and rubbed her hands over her arms nervously. 

“I feel like I know him, like we...were friends before. I have had dreams about him, as an adult.” She told Rasa the same thing she had told Gaara when he had asked her how she knew his name.

“Dreams.” Rasa didn’t understand what that meant, what she was trying to tell him. The very thought was...ridiculous to him and yet, he could find no other explanation for her knowing the things about his son that she knew.

“You dreamt we would find you in the desert?” Rasa asked her.

“No.” Sakura said honestly. 

“That was a surprise to us both but before you found me, I was dreaming or, it felt like I was falling...I suppose I was.” She laughed nervously. 

“I dreamt that Gaara was calling out to me.” Her voice got small, sad. 

“Trying to catch me with his sand, to keep me from falling.” She shrugged and smiled sadly. 

“I don’t know how to explain it Kazekage. I’m sorry.” She apologized.

“An unusual dream.” Rasa agreed, again, he found no real deceit in her words or expressions, it was puzzling.

“Where did you learn how to heal so efficiently, so quickly? Yashamaru told me you healed your leg without any lingering swelling or scars. Who taught you?” He asked.

There was a pause that Rasa recognized. She didn’t want to tell him.

“I, don’t remember.” Sakura told him, her eyes averted. Realizing her mistake she met his gaze head on and tried very hard not to look away.

Rasa knew she was lying. She would make a terrible spy he mused internally. Her eyes, they are too expressive, too open and honest. The woman simply wasn’t made for deceit. He would never admit it, but he was amused. It was such a paradox in their line of work, in her line of work.

“You will stay here until I am able to confirm your origins. You understand. My son, does not take to people like he has taken to you, I would like you to be his new caretaker, during your stay. As Yashamaru told you, this cottage is yours while you are here in return for your services to my son. Please let me know personally if you need anything.” Rasa bowed correctly and left without waiting for her reply. Her compliance had been assumed.

Sakura rolled her eyes even if it was to be expected. “At least I’m not in the dungeon being tortured for information.” She muttered kicking the futon for good measure.

“I would never let that happen, Sakura.” Gaara had returned with the soap. His gentle eyes fixed on her as she turned to smile at him.

“Thank you Gaara.” She leaned down and kissed him on the head.

“Let’s get these washed so I can hang them up to dry.” She cast an annoyed look at the bedding in the tub blaming them for her troubles.


	6. Chapter 6

Sakura froze in the doorway to the little cottage kitchen, the little desert cabbages falling from her hands as she looked past the kitchen table with two chairs, to the counter where Gaara stood on a stool washing the carrots she had given him to clean for their dinner. His head was bathed in the light of the setting sun it glowed red, bright red like fresh blood. 

Twice she blinked, rapidly drawing in air to calm herself. ‘It was the light, a trick of the light’ she willed herself to relax.

The red kanji on his forehead that his sand had carved after the failed assassination of his Uncle Yashamaru...that hadn’t happened yet, shone just as brilliantly bright against his pale skin in the fading light.

One breath then two, she exhaled with the last ray of the sun, the room dimmed and Gaara turned to look at her.

Her eyes looked haunted, wide and glazed. Her bottom lip held fast between her teeth as she stared back at him, with a controlled expression. “Sakura?” He asked timidly.

She shook herself back to awareness, like cold water over her head, her eyes focused on him and she smiled. “Sorry Gaara. Something from my dreams.” Sakura crouched down and picked up the cabbages she had dropped.

“You said you have dreams of me, as an adult?” Gaara asked her curiously.

“Yes, you will grow up to be a very handsome man Gaara.” She smiled and winked at him, her heart clenched.

“Will I be strong?” He asked hopping down from the stool and bringing her the small bundle of washed carrots, taking the cabbages from her.

“Incredibly strong Gaara and kind.” She smiled and kissed him on the head.

Gaara smiled. He liked it when she kissed his head.

Knock knock

“It’s my Uncle Yashamaru.” Gaara looked up from the cabbages she had given him to wash.

“Ah, okay, keep washing those, then I’ll show you how to cut them and we can start cooking.” Sakura wiped her hands on a towel and went to answer the door.

“Good evening Sakura San. I hope you are finding everything to your liking?” Yashamaru bowed low and smiled at her.

“Yes, thank you for your kindness, would you like to come in? Gaara is just washing the cabbages, we are going to start dinner soon, you’re welcome to join us if you like?” She shut the door behind him and walked back toward the kitchen.

“Gaara is washing cabbages?” Yashamaru was amused.

“Yes.” Sakura smiled over her shoulder at him. “I’m teaching him how to make a simple hot pot.”

“You’re teaching him how to cook?” Yashamaru asked, surprised. 

“He’s listening to you?” He asked as they walked into the kitchen.

“Of course he is, why wouldn’t he?” She tilted her head to the side with knowing interest.

She was seeing first hand why Gaara had struggled the way he had. She knew she had hardly seen anything yet, if half of what her lover had told her about his childhood was to come.

Yashamaru looked around the small cottage and frowned. “Where is the maid I sent over to assist you?” 

“She ran.” Was all Gaara said, turning around to look at his Uncle, then turning back to the cabbages.

“Ah, sorry about that.” Yashamaru began to explain but Sakura shook her head vigorously.

“It’s fine.” Sakura had seen Gaara’s shoulders tighten in anger behind her. 

“We didn’t need her anyway did we Gaara? We cleaned the cottage ourselves.” Sakura patted him on the head and went to stand beside him looking at his progress, his shoulders relaxed.

“Those look wonderful Gaara. Would you pull the large pot off the shelf for me please and fill it from the well, half full should do it.”

Gaara smiled a shy smile at her, nodded and went to do as she’d asked.

Yashamaru watched his nephew pull down the pot from a low shelf and walk out of the cottage door. 

“I’ve never seen him so compliant. Gaara isn’t a bad child, but his unique circumstances sometimes make him...unpredictable.”

“Unique circumstances, yes.” Her eyes narrowed quite unconsciously and she glared at the cabbage she had started to shred for their hot pot.

Gaara filled the pot with water, but only half, as Sakura had requested. He smiled to himself as his sand carried the pot back to the door to the cottage for him. There was a lightness in his heart that he had never felt before. A lightness that he only felt when he was around Sakura. 

He didn’t understand it, wasn’t sure what it was but when he was around her, the voice in his head was quiet. When he was around her, the voice didn’t threaten him, scream or torment him. When he was with her, the voice, if it did speak, was more...calm or inquisitive, more conversational than hostile.

As Gaara passed through the door to the cottage he heard his Uncle Yashamau and Sakura talking.

“Unique circumstances, yes.” Sakura said.

“Like foisting Shukaku on an unborn child to use as a weapon for Suna.” He heard her say.

‘What’, he frowned, were they talking about him?

‘Shukaku’, she had said that name to him before. ‘Who is Shukaku’, he wondered. ‘Was that the voice he heard in his head? This Shukaku?’, he moved up against the wall of the cottage into the shadows to listen.

“How do you know of his tailed beast?” Yashamaru’s tone had changed, it was more forced, as though he were controlling his calm Gaara noticed.

“As I told the Kazekage, I have had dreams about Gaara, as an adult.” Sakura pushed the bowl of shredded cabbage away from her and pulled the carrots to herself so that she could slice them into smaller pieces for dinner.

Yashamaru didn’t respond right away. The Kazekage had told him of their interaction, what Ryu had seen and reported. No one but the royal family was to know about it, this was serious. While Yashamaru didn’t think the woman possessed a threat to Gaara or Suna in general, someone who could easily divert Gaara’s sand attack...was in itself...a threat, much less someone who knew the boy was a jinchuriki.

“It doesn’t frighten you?” Yashamaru asked curiously.

“Of course not. Gaara is a kind boy and will grow up into a compassionate strong shinobi.” Sakura smiled a little smile to herself remembering the first night they had stayed up talking to one another, the night she realized, she loved him. “He is just misunderstood.”

Gaara swallowed hard. ‘She thinks I’m misunderstood, not a monster, she isn’t scared of me she...likes me.’ His bottom lip quivered and he swiped at his eyes. It meant so much to him. His heart thumped in his chest and he swallowed once more before stepping back out of the shadows and walking into the kitchen.

Sakura looked down at Gaara who had tugged gently on her sleeve with a shy smile, his eyes moist. She smiled a soft genuine smile at him. 

“Thank you Gaara.” She took the pot off of his floating sand and set it on the burner.

Once the hot pot was simmering, Sakura cracked a few eggs and stirred them into the pot, added the carrots and then the cabbage. She had found an old rice cooker in the pantry, had cleaned and filled it with the stores she had been provided and set it to cook while she set the table with Gaara.

“This is wonderful.” Yashamaru complimented Sakura on the meal.

“I’m not much of a cook, but I can manage a simple hot pot.” She smiled.

Gaara smiled around a mouthful of rice and egg when she looked at him. He was adorable.

Sakura yawned as she cleared the table, she was very tired, Yashamaru noticed, rose from his tea at the table and bowed graciously. “Forgive me for staying so long. Gaara and I will leave you to your rest. Thank you for dinner Sakura San. Gaara, come with me, let’s let Sakura get some rest. You will see her again tomorrow.” Yashamaru held his hand out to the little boy who shook his head.

“I’m staying.” Gaara crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly and glared at his Uncle.

“Gaara.” Yashamaru began again but Gaara’s sand rose up around him threateningly.

“None of that Gaara.” Sakura’s voice was stern. “Your Uncle is right. I am tired, I need rest. I will see you in the morning.”

“But…” Gaara began to protest.

“No. Being a friend means having mutual respect for one another, Gaara. You must respect my needs as I respect yours.” She crossed her own arm over her chest and looked down at him sternly, but he noticed a small twitch of her lips...as though she was trying very hard not to laugh. She wasn’t mad at him.

“Friend? We’re friends?” He looked up at her with such adorable hopeful eyes Sakura broke.

“Yes Gaara, we’re friends.” She bent over and picked him up, nuzzling his face with hers and kissed his forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning Gaara, okay?”

“Okay.” He hugged her neck one more time before he let her put him down.

Sakura waved to Gaara at the door of the cottage as he and his Uncle walked to the main house. It had been a pleasant evening all in all and Sakura was satisfied if not entirely pleased with her circumstances. 

What she had said earlier had been true. She had worried briefly that she would be interrogated and tortured for information she simply didn’t have or to be questioned about the information she had revealed already and couldn’t explain. 

The Kazekage must think her valuable enough not to hand her over to the wolves. She wondered if it was her healing abilities but thought it more likely to be her ability to make Gaara happy, their instant bond had seemed to surprise everyone, even Gaara.

With her hands on her hips she looked around the cottage and sighed. This wasn’t so bad...seeing Gaara and spending time with him as a child was still heart wrenching for her but she would manage. She had been sent here for him, she was almost positive, sent here to help him at a time in his life he needed her most. She would help him control his demon.

‘Shukaku’, she thought of the one tail as she washed her hands and face in the bathroom from the basin she had filled earlier that day. ‘What must you be thinking right now?’ She had seen Gaara’s face change when he had spoken with the tanuki, and could tell that Shukaku had spoken to him at least once when he had been with her in the hospital and she wondered, ‘Why didn’t he take control of Gaara while he slept in on the bed beside me? Did the beast know?’, surely the boy didn’t have control over the beast yet. 

She knew for a fact that he hadn’t started even trying to control Shukaku until after he had met Naruto, after the Chunin exams. Perhaps it wasn’t like that. Maybe Shukaku didn’t torment Gaara like that yet...she hadn’t met him until they were twelve, when he was already consumed by hate and bloodlust, dispair and under Shukaku’s mental torture.

In any case, she would do her best to help him now.

Sakura really wanted to take a bath, but she really didn’t want to haul the water from the well required to prepare one. She sighed and looked around the small bedroom. There were bookcases in the living room, maybe she would read a little before bed.

For the fifth time in the last half hour she let the book fall onto her chest as she lay on the couch in the living room of the cottage trying to read. Her thoughts wandered from the pages before her to her situation and her friends she had left behind.

It had been so sudden. One moment she was standing beside Gaara, Naruto and her shisou...the next, she was falling from the sky, in the desert, in the past and at the Kazekage’s feet..Rasa, Gaara’s father. Rasa, she wasn’t quite sure what to make of the man. He reminded her of Gaara, her Gaara. The experience was almost as unsettling as being in close contact with the younger version.

During the second part of the war Gaara had limped into Sakura’s medical tent for healing. Naruto had told him she was the best healer in the world, that she always healed him the best. Something about her chakra being more compatible with the tailed beast’s chakra, the ideal healer for a jinchuriki.

She had met him several times before that, at summits with Tsunade, through correspondence, for Tsunade and one trip to Suna to pick up a few rare plants at the request of the Hokage. They however, hadn’t spent any one on one time alone before he had stepped into her medical tent that day. 

Sakura had treated him like any other patient. She had scowled at him, huffed at him and had in her frustration to his fidgeting barely stopped herself from hitting him over the head like she had often done to Naruto. It was then, she realized how comfortable she had grown around him.

Gaara was the commander of the allied forces, the former jinchuuriki of the one tail Shukaku and the Kazekage. She should have been shy, she should have been intimidated by him, but she wasn’t. He had a calming presence amidst the chaos, a genuine concern for all of the troops and she admitted to herself, he wasn’t all that bad to look at.

Their dance had started slow, hesitant. Neither of them had any experience in love but they had both come into their own, on their own and knew who they were.

Sakura slid the front door to the cottage open and walked out into the small garden. The stars were out. It had been a night much like tonight they had first kissed.

_“Sakura, I want you to know how much I appreciated your efforts. You work tirelessly healing the injured off and on the field, your bravery is commendable.” Gaara told her._

_They were sitting side by side outside one of the mobile medical tents on the site of the latest ambush from Kabuto’s reanimated corpses._

_“This war, it is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.” Sakura said quietly._

_“This is like nothing the world has ever seen before Sakura.” Gaara leaned his head back and looked up at the stars._

_“I was never as strong as Naruto, or Sasuke.” She began. “We never had any really bloody missions to prepare me for this, this is...there was Zabuza Momochi and Haku, that was the first time I had ever felt true killing intent before and it was terrifying for me. I froze. I was so weak.” She told him, he eyes on her hands in her lap._

_“Now though, after training with Lady Tsunade, I’m not weak anymore but still I feel...Naruto and Sasuke they’re so strong, it still feels like...I’m staring at their backs as they get farther and farther ahead of me, leaving me behind.” She looked up at the stars._

_“I think I understand.” Gaara said, his eyes still fixed on the stars overhead. “Sometimes it just takes a while, sometimes the road to find our place in this world, who we are supposed to be, who we want to be is winding, difficult and seemingly impossible but...we can’t give up. You really are the best medic in the world. Lady Tsunade has told me herself your healing prowess exceeds her own.” He reached out and took her hand in his slowly giving her plenty of time to pull away, stand or move, but she didn’t, and his fingers twined with hers._

_“You are not weak Sakura. It takes a strong shinobi to heal the strong. I would trust no one but you to heal me, like Naruto. We will win this war because we must. I will never give up, like Naruto.” He told her._

_“Neither will I.” She squeezed his hand in hers making him glance down at her._

_She met his gaze and their eyes locked._

_“When this is over, when there is peace, would you consider...coming to visit me in Suna, for a time?” His eyes wavered slightly and she saw him swallow._

_She blushed. “Yes. I would like that very much Kazekage Sama.”_

_“Gaara, please Sakura, call me Gaara, no matter who we are with, I want for you to call me Gaara, always.”_

_Sakura nodded. “I would like that, Gaara.”_

_Slowly, again hesitantly, he leaned forward. She closed her eyes. She could feel the gentle warmth of his breath ghost her lips and then, lightly, the soft press of his lips over hers._

_It had been gentle, but it had been quick. Too quick, she leaned in to kiss him again but he had disappeared, leaving her sitting alone, a small cherry blossom comb sitting where he had been just moments ago, made out of sand. Sakura picked it up, running her fingers over the delicate curve of the seemingly fragile gift and set it in her hair._

Sakura looked up at the stars and sighed. Yes, it had been a night, just like tonight that Gaara had kissed her for the first time and had given her a hair comb made from his sand. She pulled the hair comb out of her pocket that young Gaara had given her in the hospital and turned it over slowly. They were similar, yet different, just like his older and younger self. So similar and yet so different.

She closed her eyes and let her head fall back, her face turned up to the stars. Her eyes opened and she saw the sparkling brilliance...so similar to that night and yet so different...but was it not the same sky, the same stars? It was a small comfort to her in the vast unknown. 

Rasa sat on the roof of the main house looking down at the pink haired kunoichi. Her face was unguarded, her eyes shone bright in the star light and he could almost imagine her draped in silk and dancing among the stars, like a desert fairy, like a goddess. He shook his head to clear his mind of such ridiculous thoughts. 

He followed the shadows of the garden to the gate where his son stood hidden among the brush. It seemed he wasn’t the only one fascinated with the woman and wondered where this strange connection had come from, wondered why his son was drawn to this woman like no other. 

Before this woman, Yashamaru had been the closest person to gaara out of some sense of responsibility to his dead sister, but not even Yashamaru couldn’t compel Gaara’s obedience like this woman, this strange pink haired medic nin who had fallen out of the sky into all of their lives.

Rasa watched Sakura sgih heavily once more and walk back into her cottage and close the door. He stood, stretched and watched his son disappear in a flurry of sand. Briefly, Rasa worried what his other brother would think of the woman, how he would react to her presence in the village and how he would interpret her excuse of both amnesia and her dreams. Sasori was a hard man to convince of anything, even the truth.


	7. Chapter 7

Sakura woke to a soft tugging of something caught in her hair. The smell of sun filled her nose and she smiled. ‘Gaara’, she mused, he had always reminded her of the sun, the smell of light and heat seemed to radiate from his person, pulling her to him, drawing his citizens to him, willing them to trust him and follow him. ‘It was the desert’, her mind continued to wander, sleep still prying at her semi conscious state.

A tug to her hair brought her back to wakefulness. Sakura opened her eyes to red hair and rough muslin. Gaara was curled up into a small ball beside her head, his little fists caught in her ever growing hair, his robe bunched up around her chin in an attempt to get closer to her in his sleep. Sakura smiled at the sight. 

“When did you get here little guy.” Sakura kissed the top of his head, a difficult feat since he was sideways and squished up into a ball.

Gaara’s eyes blinked open and he smiled at her sheepishly. “Are you mad?” He asked her.

“No, I’m not mad but I bet someone is worried about you, who is supposed to watch you at night?” She asked him.

“Anbu.” He pointed up at the ceiling of her cottage. “No one worries about me.”

Sakura’s eyes followed his direction. If she concentrated very hard she thought she might have felt a presence there, as it was...she knew she had only felt that much because he had told her someone was there already. She wasn’t a sensor nin in the slightest.

“Have you had breakfast yet?” She asked after a long yawn and a stretch.

“No. I wanted to have breakfast with you.” He smiled at her again with his wide teal eyes.

“Does that look work on Yashamaru too?” She giggled and ruffled his hair pushing the bedding back and standing up.

“Look?” He asked her standing and stretching, clearly imitating her.

“That look of cuteness that makes me want to do whatever you ask because I can’t refuse the cuteness.” She tweaked his nose playfully.

The boy blushed and continued to look at her with those eyes of his. Sakura had to look away. His eyes reminded her of his older self, when he used to look at her with those eyes, a much less innocent hunger lurking behind them, knowing full well it made her weak and wanting.

“Breakfast!” She blurted out, making herself focus on the now and not the what had been.

Sakura and Gaara were in the garden when Yashamaru came walking up the small path from the main house to the cottage followed by the same young girl that had run from the cottage screaming yesterday.

Megumu bowed low to Sakura and Gaara, her hands shaking, while Yashamaru greeted them with an explanation.

“Megumu would like to apologize for offending you yesterday Sakura San, and has returned with me now to do so. In addition to her apology she will be here to assist you with your meals. She will prepare your breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as any cleaning and house cleaning tasks you may need.” Yashamaru’s hand on Megumu’s shoulder was firm.

“Please forgive me Sakura Sama.” The girl bowed low, her shoulders shaking.

Sakura was taken aback. No one had ever bowed to her like this before. Sakura looked from Yashamaru to the girl and shook her head. “There is no need to apologize. Was my cooking that bad last night Yashamaru San?” She tried to smile to diffuse the tension.

“Not at all Sakura San, it was very good.” Yashamaru smiled openly at the woman now, he rather enjoyed her sense of humor, it was a lightness not readily found in the Sand.

“It is a gift from the Kazekage.” Yashamaru bowed his head.

“‘It;...” Sakura muttered. The Kazekage gave her a maid as a ‘gift’. A political move then, she understood. She had seen such things before as the Hokage’s apprentice.

“Why?” Sakura asked, anyway.

“To show his gratitude.” Yashamaru said smoothly.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. They might not have sent her to the interrogation department or tortured her for information but she was under no false pretenses that they trusted her.

“How generous.” She said stiffly. 

She wondered if Megumu was to serve as a spy or as a false confidant to extract information from her through friendship. Sakura surveyed the girl in a new light and dismissed her cynical thoughts. The girl was terrified, this wasn’t a trick. It didn’t mean however, that the Kazekage wouldn’t ask the girl what she saw while in close company to Sakura. Sakura almost rolled her eyes.

“Megumu, please go and prepare Sakura San and Lord Gaara’s breakfast.” Yashamaru lifted his hand from the girl’s shoulder.

Megumu bowed again to Sakura and Gaara, then ran into the cottage without looking back.

“You’re being cruel.” Sakura turned to Yashamaru with her hand on her hip, leaning forward slightly.

“She will learn to quell her fear.” He retorted simply looking her over.

Sakura realized she was still in her sleeping clothes and her face burned a bright red. “If you’ll excuse me.” She ran back into the cottage and slammed the door behind her.

Gaara stared after Sakura, surprised at her sudden departure then turned cold eyes on his unperturbed Uncle who was laughing, blaming him.

“You’ll understand when you’re a bit older, Gaara.” Yashamaru laughed again and ruffled his hair, then walked back to the main house.

“Megumu, do you know where I could buy some antlers? I’m in need of some Nara antlers for a recipe I wanted to work on today and realized I have no idea where to get them aside from Konoha.” Sakura asked, picking up her cup of tea the young girl had set down in front of her.

“Nara antlers? I’ve never heard of them before. Konoha you say? I know of some merchants who travel between Suna and Konoha, but they’ve already left Sakura Sama. Perhaps when they come back this way, they will have some. I can check for you when they get back if you like?” The girl bowed low and took the empty bowls from the small table to the basin to clean.

“Would you mind? I would really appreciate it. Megumu San.” Sakura smiled at the girl.

“It would be my pleasure Sakura Sama.” Megumu bowed again...it irritated Sakura.

“Megumu San, please don’t be so formal. I’m no one special, there is no need. To address me with such respect. Call me Sakura San, or Chan if you like.” Sakura smiled again and the girl choked.

“I couldn’t possibly, Sakura Sama. Yashamaru made it very clear to me I am to serve you with the utmost respect. I would not shame my family.” Megumu bowed again.

“She’s a servant.” Gaara was looking at Sakura oddly.

Sakura stared at Gaara, surprised by his arrogance. “She is a person Gaara. She is a maid yes, but she isn’t less than you just because she cleans your home or makes you your meals. You should thank her for her efforts, she is not a slave.” Sakura said sternly.

“It is her job to serve us though. She is not important, not like you.” Gaara crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at her.

“I am only important because you say I am important, because your father says I am important. I am not that important.” Sakura insisted.

“Exactly.” Gaara said satisfied and uncrossed his arms.

“What? Exactly? Does that mean...exactly?” Sakura asked him.

“We say you are important, so you are...I say she is not, so she isn’t.” He said simply picking up his own cup of tea and taking a small sip.

“If I am important and say she is, then you must acknowledge that right?” Sakura countered.

Gaara thought about her words for a moment but then shook his head decidedly. “No. You are important she is not, even if you say she is, I do not.” He said smugly.

“Everyone is important Gaara.” Sakura put her tea cup down and watched the boy.

“Where do you come from where they think such things?” There was only curiosity in his voice, no contempt. He really wanted to know.

“I don’t even know.” She looked down at her empty tea cup and Gaara watched her eyes moisten.

For the first time in his life he felt...guilty. “Will you go back, when you remember where you came from, where your home is, will you leave Suna and go back home?” He asked her, his fingers gripping his cup tightly.

“I don’t know if I can ever return home, even if I knew how to get there and I don’t.” Sakura closed her eyes, she was getting a headache.

Gaara shifted in his seat. He didn’t understand these feelings he was feeling. Why was he angry, sad and worried all at the same time. Why did he want her to stay and to push her away at the same time...it didn’t matter. She couldn’t leave without the Kazekage’s permission. He smiled to himself. 

“Then there is nothing to worry about.” He said satisfied with his thoughts.

“I suppose not.” Sakura finished her tea and set the cup down on the table. “I’d like to take a closer look at the garden and see what’s available to us. Last night I only saw a few vegetables but there must be more. I saw a lot of green on the left side. Let’s go check it out?”

Gaara nodded and they left Megumu to clean up their dishes.

“I've never seen this one before.” Sakura mumbled and pulled out the small notepad she had brought out to the garden with her.

She flipped the first page open and started a small clinically accurate drawing of the plant so she could look it up later. She was no artist, not nearly as talented as Sai, but she had learned from Tsunade to draw decently accurate clinical drawings of plants, herbs and body parts.

Sakura tapped the pencil against her knee and wondered if she would be allowed to access the Suna library. She pursed her lips and moved to the next plant. ‘Aloe’, she cheered in her head, she knew that one. HUmming to herself she bent over each new plant, drawing the ones she didn’t recognize and making a list of the ones she did.

Gaara moved along the ground beside her throughout the morning and watched her draw plants into her book and write down the names of others in the back of the book.

“Why are you doing this? What is the difference for the front and the back of the book?” He asked her when they had paused for lunch.

“The drawings and descriptions are ones I don’t know the names of and the ones listed in the back of the book are ones I know their names and uses for.” She explained.

“There are more in the front than the back.” Gaara smiled shyly at her.

Sakura laughed. “Yes there are.”

“Do you know the names and uses of any that I drew in the front of the book Gaara?” She asked him and he shook his head.

“My Uncle would know though. He knows all the plants in the world and their uses.” Gaara told her.

“Yashamaru?” Sakura asked. “He is a medic nin, I suppose I could ask him.”

“No, my other Uncle, but he is out of the village right now on a mission. I think he gets back soon though.” Gaara picked up the last riceball in the shape of a cat with little seaweed whiskers and eyes on it.

“I didn’t know you had another Uncle.” Sakura mused.

“You haven’t dreamed about him, just me?” Gaara was pleased with the idea her dreams were only of him, he wanted to keep her to himself.

“Mostly.” She admitted, which made Gaara smile. “Some are about Suna in general though and other parts of the world, other people in other villages.”

“Oh.” He would rather that she dream of him and him alone. He frowned.

Sakura looked at the little boy and smiled. Gaara had told her he had been a spoiled child, that he had been given anything he wanted, had been denied nothing in hopes of placating the beast inside. He was used to being the center of attention, the only, the selfish. 

It was a side of himself he rarely showed anyone but he had admitted to her late one night after they had made love that it killed him to watch her with other men at the hospital. That he hated when one of her male colleagues patted her on the back. He knew it was harmless, he trusted her but he hated it all the same. She had laughed at him, called him possessive and jealous. Gaara had turned his teal eyes on her and said , yes, he was and she should never forget it.

She had kissed him then, had wrapped her arms around his naked body and buried her face in his naked chest while he rubbed her bare back, pushing her back down into their bed to make love to her again.

“You don’t need to frown Gaara. I dream of you the most.” She smiled and ruffled his hair like she used to do when they had been dating, her smile faltered and she stopped, her hand rested on top of his head.

“What’s wrong Sakura?” Gaara had smiled at her words but his smile had dropped when he saw how sad she had suddenly become. He didn’t want her to be sad, he wanted her to smile again.

“Ah, nothing Gaara. I was just thinking of something, from long ago.” She stood up from the table picking up their plates and setting them in the sink.

“Would you like to finish cataloging the plants with me Gaara?” She reached her hand out to him and he placed his little paw in hers with a smile and a nod.

“Let’s go then.” She held his hand as they walked back out into the garden, grabbing her pad and pencil with her other hand as she passed by the table by the door.

Rasa stood in the shadows of the midday sun on the roof of the main house and watched his son and the strange pink haired woman walk into the garden together smiling at one another. He had just eaten his own lunch, stopping for a smoke on the roof of his house before going back to the Kazekage’s office.

He watched the woman pull his son into her arms and kiss him on his kanji, he watched his son smile widely and look at the woman with adoring eyes. It was like...they had always been together...like they were mother and son and he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

He noticed the notebook in her hand and wondered what it was.

“Kazekage Sama.” A masked Anbu knelt on the roof beside him waiting to be addressed.

Rasa watched his son with the strange kunoichi for a few more minutes before turning to the Anbu. “Yes?”

“Yashamaru Sama has been injured, word has been sent from the outpost he had been checking earlier this morning, a team is bringing him to the hospital now.” The Anbu’s fist made contact with the ground, ending his report.

“Thank you, tell the hospital to make ready for him in the west wing. I will bring the healer myself.” Rasa dismissed the Anbu, his eyes falling back down to his son and the pink haired medic.

Sakura followed Rasa down the hall of the Suna hospital, Gaara in her arms, her notepad in his little paws. Heads turned to bow to the Kazekage as he passed. The same heads rose to stare at Gaara and Sakura with either open mouths or angry eyes as they followed the Kazekage.

“Geeze, you’d think they could at least try a little harder to hide it.” Sakura hugged Gaara closer and muttered into the top of his head.

Rasa stopped outside the last hospital door at the end of the hall. There were less people down this wing of the hospital and it looked like only one of the rooms was occupied. 

“My apologies Sakura, it is hard for many of my citizens to forget the loved ones that were lost in Gaara’s previous rampages.” Rasa gave her an odd look, clearly puzzled by her reaction.

“Then shouldn’t they be looking at you with angry eyes and not your four year old son?” Sakura asked with a raise of her pink eye brow.

Rasa opened his mouth to reprimand her for her disrespect but shut it with a snap and smiled. “I don’t believe anyone has ever spoken to me like that before, other than my younger brother and perhaps our father.” His eyes looked at her with respect.

“I’m sorry Kazekage Sama, I spoke without thinking.” ,,,and she had, she hadn’t meant to say such a thing to the man. He was the Kazekage and could have her killed if he wished, or tortured. No one knew she was there, there wasn’t anyone coming to save her. She had to be more careful.

“Do not apologize for speaking the truth.” Rasa stood before the door and continued to watch her. 

“You really are a very unusual kunoichi Sakura. I would like to know more about you. Join me for dinner this evening please. Gaara may come if you like.”

Sakura opened her mouth to protest but knew she couldn’t refuse his request without a good excuse and she had none, particularly if Gaara was going to be there, and he was now. She doubted Rasa ate many dinners with his son and she wondered vaguely about Kankuro or Temari, whom she hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting yet.

“I would be delighted, Kazekage Sama.” Sakura inclined her head.

Rasa nodded and opened the door behind him stepping inside and waved for Sakura to follow him. Once inside Sakura gasped.

“Why were we standing outside talking about dinner? For fucks sake Rasa.” She growled at the Kazekage who blinked at her in shock and stepped back as she ran to the bed muttering something about idiots and men being the bane of her existence.

Sakura set Gaara down on a chair near the bed. “Do not move, do you understand, if you have to sneeze or cough, turn your head or use your sleeve. Do not talk, do not distract me, or I will get very angry.” Gaara nodded.

She pushed chakra to the ends of her fingers and into her palms running them over Yashamaru’s neck and chest, moving across over his heart then up to his head where she closed her eyes and felt for gathering fluids. Blood dripped slowly down the side of the bed and onto the tiles below.

Pit Pat. Pit Pat.

It was called the death drop and aptly named. Yashamaru was losing blood and fast. She had to seal off all of his wounds. He had a concussion, that was clear but she would need to deal with it after she stopped his bleeding. “Shit.” 

“Go get me an orderly or a nurse. I will need someone to hold him down , maybe even two people, he’s been poisoned!” Sakura yelled at Rasa.

“Poisoned?” Rasa looked at Yashamaru. “Then there is no help for him, my brother is not here.”

Sakura looked back at the Kazekage with wide eyes, ‘brother?’. She shook her head, focusing on Yashamaru. “I can draw the poison out but you must go now and get someone! Quickly! Gaara, get me several bowls of clean water now!” 

Gaara flew from his seat out into the hallway without hesitation to do her bidding, while his father stood there watching Sakura with narrowed eyes. 

“You can draw the poison out of him? That’s impossible.” He said flatly.

“Oh for fucks sake, you’re completely worthless!” She spat out at him, pushing him aside and moving to Yashamaru’s other side as Gaara came back into the room with three bowls of clean water.

Rasa glared at her but kept his mouth shut, for now.

“Set them there.” She motioned to the table tray beside her. “I’m going to need you to use your sand Gaara, I need you to be careful of his wounds and hold him down, do not let him move at all okay?”

Gaara nodded, his sand rising into the air and locking his Uncle’s arms and legs down, avoiding the slashes and other injuries as much as possible, one band of sand around his torso to lock him in place. The little boy looked up at Sakura, tears in his eyes.

“Perfect, now this will hurt him, but I assure you, he will live. Do you hear me Gaara, Yashamaru will live. Here we go.” She swallowed hard, taking one bowl of water in her hands with infused chakra and slowly began to press it into Yashamaru’s chest, like she had done for Kankuro so many years ago.

Yashamaru began to scream and pull against Gaara’s sand.

“What are you doing!” Rasa stepped forward to grab her and pull her away from his brother but Gaara’s sand rose up and held him back and away from her.

“Gaara!” Rasa yelled at his son while Yashamaru continued to scream in pain.

“Kazekage Sama, I mean no disrespect but get the fuck out, you are preventing me from concentrating, which I need to save your brother’s life. If you shut the hell up, you can stay, otherwise fuck off.” Sakura grit her teeth and moved her other hand over Yashamaru’s chest and slowly began pulling the poison from his body.

Rasa opened his mouth to protest but stopped when he saw the dark black stringy liquid moving around in the clear water Sakura was pulling from his brother’s chest and placing into the empty bowl.

“Is that?” Rasa began.

“Yes, it’s the poison, now shut up please.” Sakura took the next bowl of water and pressed it slowly into Yashamaru’s chest repeating the process.

The next ball of water had much less poison in it and the third came out clear. Sakura let her chakra fade from her hands with a sigh and Yashamaru slowly opened his eyes and gripped his chest, coughing.

“Please be careful Yashamaru San, you are not fully healed yet. Allow me.” Sakura moved to pull the remainder of the sheet from his body.

“Sa Sakura San.” Yashamaru gasped in pain.

“Gaara you can release him now, thank you, you did wonderfully.” She kissed the boy on the head as she walked to the other side of the bed.

“Thank you Sakura.” Gaara blushed.

Rasa watched with silent fascination as Sakura infused her hands with healing chakra once again and healed every slash mark, every broken bone and every bruise on his brother’s body after pulling the fatal poison from his chest.

“There, that should do it for now.” Sakura wiped the perspiration from her brow and smiled at Yashamaru who looked at her stunned into silence.

“Here, eat this, it will help with your blood loss.” She handed him a blood pill, reaching back into her bag. 

“And this, for your chakra, you’re near exhaustion, but I gave you some of my own, so you’re no longer in any danger of chakra depletion.” Sakura handed him a soldier pill.

Yashamaru looked down at the two pills in his hand and back up at the pink haired kunoichi. “You, healed me? I was poisoned with one of our brother’s poisons though.” He couldn’t believe he was alive.

“You aren’t completely free of it yet, my method is crude and immediately effective, but there is still a little poison in your system that I can’t pull out. You will still need the antidote.. The symptoms will come back, if I don’t. May I use your greenhouse Kazekage?” She turned to Rasa expectantly.

“Uh, yes, of course uh...allow me to show you.” Rasa who never stuttered, who was never at a loss for words, stuttered and found he had nothing to say.

“Gaara, please stay with your Uncle, it will take me some time to make an antidote and…” She was cut off by his small body crashing into hers.

“I’m going with you.” He hugged her legs and looked up at her with his sparkling teal eyes and her heart melted.

“Okay, but you mustn’t distract me okay?” She picked him up and turned to the Kazekage. “Lead on Rasa.”


	8. Chapter 8

Rasa watched the woman walk up and down the greenhouse aisle, pinching, sniffing and poking at every plant she passed by. She had yelled at him, swore at him, ordered him about like a servant...and had saved his brother’s life. Something that even their other brother may not have been able to do. 

Sasori could have made an antidote to the poison he was sure, it was one of his own Yashamaru had said, but Sasori wouldn’t have been able to heal Yashamaru’s wounds like she had. Without Sakura, Yashamaru would be dead right now and Rasa knew it.

Sakura had an armful of this and that as she moved to the counter at the far end of the greenhouse, the shadow of his son beside her. She picked the boy up and sat him on the table next to her. “This is to stimulate blood flow. The poison had a chakra inhibitor in it so this normally wouldn’t work but I’m adding this to help counter that.” She held up two green leaves.

Gaara nodded wisely at her soaking up every word.

“This will counter the anti coagulant and this will help with his concussion and stop the poison from breaking down his immune system for healing and…” She spoke as she heated the final product over a spirit lamp, checked the temp and shook the vial.

“Done.” She smiled at Gaara and corked the antidote, walking back to Rasa.

“Come on, the sooner the better.” She walked past him and out the door of the greenhouse toward the hospital.

“Bossy.” Rasa muttered under his breath and followed her out the door.

Yashamaru was sitting up in the hospital bed when they entered and smiled at the pink haired medic nin.

“Thank you for my life Sakura San.” He was already looking much better she thought as she walked to the bed and placed her hand on his forehead without permission.

Gaara hopped back up onto the chair and watched Sakura check his Uncle’s vitals.

“Here take this, it is an antidote for the remaining poisons in your system. It is a rough make up of the actual antidote but your greenhouses didn’t have everything I needed unfortunately.” She apologized. 

“It will suffice though. I got most of the poison out of your system and you’re young and healthy, you’ll recover.”

Sakura turned to Rasa who was standing against the wall. 

“I’m putting him on bed rest for two days with movement restrictions. He needs fluids and light foods, nothing heavy. Fish soup perhaps and plain rice for now with milk. I will check on him myself and release him when he is fit for active duty again.” She turned back to Yashamaru, taking the vial from his hands and setting it on the bedside table to check his eyes again.

“Vision is clear.” She mumbled as she infused her hands with chakra and checked his concussion. She closed her eyes as she moved her chakra into his head and didn’t see the look Yashamaru and Rasa had exchanged, or the small smile Yashamaru had on his lips.

“Your concussion is healed but I still want you to remain in bed. Understood?” She waited for his compliance, well aware of the stubborn indestructible nature of elite male shinobi.

“Yes doctor.” Yashamaru winked at her.

“Good. I’ll be back later to check in on you. I will stop by the nurses station on my way out to order a light meal for you. I assume you didn’t have time for lunch.” She smiled and held her hand out to Gaara, who took it and hopped down from the chair.

“I expect you’ll want his report on what happened at the outpost, but don’t rile him up, he needs rest.” Sakura told Rasa, then her and Gaara left the room without asking for permission from the Kazekage.

“So...she really is a doctor?” Yashamaru said in amazement. “She didn’t smile in jest or even bat an eye at my joke. Did you see that?”

Rasa had seen it. “She certainly knows what she’s doing, but a woman doctor...I’ve never heard of such a thing. You’re alive though.” Rasa rubbed his chin in thought.

“How did you get poisoned with one of Sasori’s poisons?” Rasa asked Yashamaru.

“An accident, my own stupidity if I’m honest.” Yashamaru rubbed the back of his head where he had gotten clubbed by an attacking nin. There wasn’t even a bump, it didn’t hurt at all and he marveled again at the woman’s healing abilities.

“Sasori had given me a few poisoned kunai for the boarder patrols, only to be used in emergencies or in suicide raids. He told me, it was a poison even he didn’t have an antidote for.” Yashamaru watched Rasa’s face.

“Yeah, she’s that good brother.” Yashamaru grinned.

“Anyway, the Iwa nin, pulled the kunai from his leg and threw it back at me, it grazed my leg. I was locked down by two of his friends and wasn’t able to completely avoid the attack. Sasori’s poisons are amazing, just a graze and so much was in my system, it was terrifying. My whole body went numb, I couldn’t move. Two more border teams showed up and ran them off, or I would have been done for.” Yashamaru shook his head. He had been so close to dying. He thought he had been as good as dead. There wasn’t anyone alive better at poisons or antidotes than their brother Sasori...until now.

“Who the hell is she Rasa?” Yashamaru asked, he was still in shock.

“I don’t know. Sasori isn’t going to like that she found an antidote to a poison of his, that he had no antidote for.” Rasa grimaced.

“No he isn't.” Yashamaru grinned. He didn’t particularly like Sasori.

“They haven’t even met yet and I already know they aren’t going to get along. Did you hear her, how she spoke to me?” Rasa’s mouth twitched.

“I did. I thought I was hallucinating at first but even I couldn’t dream up language like that from a pretty thing like her.” Yashamaru laughed openly.

“Where does she come from, where there are women doctors who speak like men...she commanded me around the room like a kage, took charge like a general and executed her orders and healing like a professional. The speech of a well born lady when she chooses to use it and a tongue like an adler.” Rasa shook his head. The woman was more confusing to him now than she had been since they had found her in the desert.

“Maybe...she was sent by the gods, to help us.” Yashamaru said quietly. “Look how little Gaara has taken to her. He follows her everywhere. He snuck into her bed last night and slept with her until morning. She wasn’t mad, she just...hugged him and kissed him and closed her eyes like...like they had slept together like that a thousand times.” Yashamaru told Rasa who blinked.

“He doesn’t rampage, Shukaku doesn’t even try to take control over him when he sleeps with her brother. It’s a miracle Rasa.” Yashamaru took a deep breath and looked out the little circular window of his hospital room.

“Sasori is going to be pissed, he will want to know exactly who she is and where she came from...and his methods of getting information aren’t...gentle Rasa. He’ll hurt her.” Yashamaru was looking at the black swirling poison in the bowls by his bed.

“I’ll handle Sasori. I won’t let him hurt her. She is far too valuable to us now, to Suna.” Rasa too was looking at the bowls of poison by Yashamaru’s bed. ‘Incredible’.

“She knows that I put the ichibi inside of Gaara, Yashamaru. When we were walking through the hospital, workers and patients alike cast cold looks at her and the boy, like usual. I apologized to her thinking she was offended personally, but she wasn’t. She was upset...for Gaara and she blamed me. She knows. How could she know such things? Dreams she says. She says she has dreams about Gaara, I’ve never believed in such things before, but I have no other explanation for it.” Rasa ran his hand through his spiky locks, so much like his sons only a dark reddish brown.

“A mystery, definitely but I don’t think she means us harm Rasa. If she were a spy, which, have you looked at her face...it’s impossible, she would have let me die. Why save me?”

“That’s why I brought her to you. To see, would she save you, or tell me there was nothing she could do. She yelled at me and ran to you...no, I do not think she is a treat, but Sasori...he will see her as a threat for more reasons than we can count.” Rasa knew his brother Sasori. He wouldn’t accept her ‘ I had a dream’, as an excuse.

Yashamaru nodded. He was worried about their other brother’s reaction to the woman too. “She is a skilled medic but her fighting skills, do you know of her combat skills Rasa?”

“No. I’m hesitant to test her. Gaara has become extremely protective of the woman.” Rasa remembered his son shielding her from his attempt to stop her earlier when healing Yashamaru.

“I can’t send Anbu or even regular Jounin to test her skills. Gaara will kill them I’m sure.” Rasa sat down in the chair beside Yashamaru’s bed. “I doubt she has any real combat skills though. Most medics don’t.”

Yashamaru rubbed his chin and smiled. “I don’t think we should underestimate her. She has already proven she isn’t like most medics, or kunoichi that we know.” He recalled her quick reflexes when they had first brought her back to Suna.

Rasa nodded his head as a nurse knocked and entered the room with a food tray bowing low. “Kazekage Sama , Yashamaru Sama, the woman medic told me to bring this for Yashamaru Sama.”

“You obeyed her?” Rasa was more than a little surprised.

“Not at first, Kazekage Sama but...she healed a broken leg and cleared up a case of chronic bronchitis on her way out the door so…” The nurse looked fearful.

“It is okay. He was only surprised, she’s a foreigner.” Yashamaru assured the nurse she wouldn’t be punished.

“Thank you Yashamaru Sama.” The nurse wheeled the cart of food to his bedside and lifted the lid to reveal plain white rice and a lightly salted broiled fish, just as Sakura had ordered. Yashamaru looked at his brother.

“It looks like we have our new head Doctor for the Suna hospital Kazekage Sama.” Yashamaru broke his chopsticks and started eating.

“So it seems.” Rasa pursed his lips in thought ignoring the nurse’s look of astonishment as she left the room closing the door gently behind her.

“We still have a little time before dinner Gaara. What would you like to do?” Sakura asked the boy once they got back to the cottage.

“Can we...go to the playground?” Gaara looked at her hopefully.

“Of course we can!” Sakura smiled at the little boy.

Gaara grinned and skipped out the door of the cottage leaving Sakura to follow. She caught up with him at the gate past the garden and they walked hand in hand to the playground a few blocks from the main house.

Sakura could hear the happy squeals of children as they approached the playground. Gaara smiled as the swings came into view and he ran ahead of her to one of the swings. That’s when she heard it, the screaming. Sakura ran to Gaara’s side and immediately fell into a defensive stance, fists raised and at the ready to defend the little guy if need be.

Belatedly, she realized the screams weren’t from a threat to the children as she saw it, but rather because of her little companion. Parents grabbed their children from play boxes, swings and slides, running from the playground, looking back over their shoulders with fear and disgust, anger and raw hatred.

Sakura froze. It was Naruto all over again, only worse, so much worse because...Gaara had killed, he had rampaged through his village and caused pain, grief and death. Sakura looked down at Gaara who was sitting on the swing kicking his feet slowly back and forth.

“It’s okay. I’m used to it.” He looked up at her and tried to smile.

“Oh Gaara.” Sakura picked him up off the swing, sat down and pulled him up onto her lap and started swinging. “It isn’t your fault Gaara. Do you know that?”

“Who’s is it then?” He asked. No one had ever told him that it wasn’t his fault. His father blamed him, the villagers blamed him...it was his fault but...if Sakura said it wasn’t, maybe the others were wrong? He hoped so.

“Your father’s, the elders of Suna, Shukaku, the one tail, but not yours Gaara, never yours. I’m sorry. I told you I would help you with him and I haven’t done anything yet.” She kissed the top of his head as they swung back and forth.

“Shukaku? Is that the voice in my head? I hear someone sometimes, talking to me, but not as much since you came, he likes you. He told me I could trust you.” Gaara pulled on a lock of Sakura’s hair that had fallen over her shoulder and tickled his nose.

“He talks to you about me?” Sakura was a little surprised.

“He says he knows you, and likes you.” Gaara smiled with an inward look that Sakura knew well.

“You’re talking to him now aren’t you, Shukaku?” She asked.

“Yes. I didn’t know his name. He is pleased I am calling him by his name now. He promises to behave, like you asked him to during the war, if you promise not to leave me.” Gaara looked up at her with hopeful eyes.

“Did he…” Sakura bit her bottom lip.

Gaara nodded. “Were you in the third shinobi war too?” He asked her.

“Ah, no, a different war. It doesn't matter. I will stay with you as long as I can Gaara. I will not promise you forever but, right now, I am here with you.” Sakura knew too well Gaara’s mind and his talent for remembering everything he heard, saw or read. She wouldn’t talk herself into a corner with him.

“What other war is there?” He asked her, confused. “You are too young to have been in the 2nd shinobi war and therefore the first as well.” He pointed out logically.

“It isn’t important anymore.” She said, her voice dropping.

Gaara tilted his head to the side. She looked sad again.

‘Leave her be boy, she has been through more than you know’, the voice was back, Shukaku.

‘What has she been through? I want to help her’, Gaara told the beast.

Shukaku chuckled softly. ‘You can’t, not yet, let her be’

‘I care about her’, Gaara protested.

‘She cares about you too, this is hard for her, being here with you, you’ll understand later boy, let it go, for her sake’, Shukaku insisted and Gaara nodded.

“Did you still want to swing, or maybe play in the sand box?” She hugged him while they swung back and forth together.

“No, this is nice, can we keep swinging like this?” He wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her fiercely.

Sakura nodded, ignoring the distant, confused and angry eyes of the villagers and other shinobi around them.

Megumu met them by the gate when Sakura and Gaara returned from the park, bowing low to them. “Kazekage Sama requests that you come early to dinner for drinks and conversation Sakura Sama, Gaara Sama.”

“That’s not a good idea.” Sakura muttered but thanked Megumu for the message anyway.

“Uh, how early?” Sakura turned back around to find Megumu on her heels.

“I am to dress you for dinner now.” Megumu bowed again.

“You don’t have to bow after every sentence Megumu San, it’s going to drive me mad. What do you mean dress me. I can dress myself.” Sakura turned back around and walked into the cottage.

“You’re hair, Sakura Sama and your clothes. I will draw your bath now.” Megumu scooted out of the room before Sakura could protest.

Sakura followed the girl into the bathroom where she was already lighting the fire to heat the bath.

“I already filled the bath for you Sakura Sama, it will be ready soon. Please enjoy the tea and rice cakes I have set out for you and Gaara Sama in the kitchen while you wait.” Megumu poured scented oil into the bath and crushed some dried sweet violets into the water.

Sakura huffed and walked back to the kitchen where Gaara had found the rice cakes and was already halfway through the plate when she sat down beside him.

“You have rice on your face.” Sakura pointed at the boy who grinned and started swiping at his face with his sticky paws.

Sakura laughed, picked up a napkin from the table and cleaned his face off for him. Gaara shoved another rice cake in his mouth and slid off the kitchen chair.

“Where are you going?” She asked as he made his way out of the kitchen to the door.

“I have to take a bath and get dressed for dinner.” He waved and walked out the door leaving her alone.

“What?” Sakura turned back to the bathroom with a look of suspicion...what kind of dinner was this?

With tea cup in hand, she walked across the room to her bedroom and stopped dead. Laid out on her futon was a formal multi layered kimono, silk wraps, formal obi, and hair ornaments she had only seen the daughter of the Damoi wear.

“Like hell I’m wearing that.” Sakura turned on her heel and stomped into the bathroom. 

“I’m not wearing that kimono.” Sakura told Megumu forcefully.

Megumu’s mouth twitched. She was slowly starting to like the strange woman very much. Sakura never ordered her, she asked. She never talked down to her, she spoke to her with respect, like an equal. Sakura refused to let the boy speak down to her as well and now she was refusing the Kazekage’s generosity.

“Is it not to your tastes Sakura Sama? I could get another if you like?” Megumu offered, knowing full well what the issue was.

“No, it just...it’s too much, this is ridiculous. It’s just dinner.” Sakura threw her hands up in the air. She had never been required to attend the boring formal dinners with Tsunade, had never had to dress like this to appease the foriegn visitors or other village leaders. She was a kunoichi, not a doll.

“Dinner with the Kazekage.” Megumu pointed out.

“I’m not wearing that.” Sakura hissed and Megumu actually laughed.

“Pardon me , please Sakura Sama. I’ve just, never met anyone like you before.” Megumu smiled and covered her mouth.

“I can’t be that odd. I mean really it’s not that much of a difference.” Sakura muttered.

“Difference?” Megumu asked, relaxing in the woman’s presence and good will enough to ask her employer a question of her own.

“From where I used to live.” Sakura remembered herself. “At least, I think, it is hard to remember.”

Megumu looked at the woman with sincere sympathy. It must be hard to be somewhere foreign, not knowing who you are or where you came from.

“We still have some time, let’s go to the market and find you something, more you?” Megumu smiled at Sakura’s huff of annoyance.

“You don’t like shopping?” Megumu asked.

“Not really.” Sakura groaned, as she fingered the outer kimono. 

“It is really nice silk isn’t it, but I can’t fight in this. What if something happens and I need to defend myself.” Sakura scoffed at the fancy clothes. “It isn’t practical.”

“What would make it more practical?” Megumu asked her curiously.

“Well, pants would be nice, for starters.” Sakura smiled.

“Allow me to take care of it Sakura Sama. Get into the bath and wash, you’ll forgive me for not attending to you while I make adjustments to your dress?” Megumu asked.

“Adjustments?” Sakura asked even though she had already nodded.

“You said you wanted pants. I’ll see what I can do to make your clothes more...practical.” Megumu bowed to Sakura with a grin.

“Oh!” Sakura smiled. “Thank you Megumu San!”

“It is my pleasure Sakura Sama.” Megumu continued to smile as the woman stripped and walked into the bathroom shutting the door behind her. She liked the strange kunoichi, very much. 

“I know just what to do.” Megumu picked up the elaborate kimono and a pair of scissors from the desk on the other side of the room.


	9. Chapter 9

Rasa was standing by the window of the sitting room of the main house when he felt his son and Sakura approach. Turning from the window he stopped dead and stared at her dress.

“Is that the kimono I sent to the cottage for you to wear to dinner?” He blurted out, then remembered himself. “I apologize, it’s uh...different from what I remember.”

Sakura stood in the doorway, her hand on her hip and smiled charmingly at the Kazekage. “Yeah, it’s more practical.”

Megumu had changed the kimono drastically, much to Sakura’s overflowing delight. The maid had cut the lower half of the kimono off at a diagonal so Sakura could access her pouch easily from her right hip, had made short capri pants out of the bottom half of the kimono with added pockets on either side for her poisons and antidotes. Megumu had kept the original obi, but had reinforced it with an extra belt for Sakura’s medical pouch and scrolls.

Megumu had insisted Sakura allow her to dress her hair but Sakura had refused the large formal headdress Rasa had provided, insisting on something simpler and more to her tastes. Megumu had drawn Sakura’s hair up into a half twisted bun that was held in place by senbon thrust through the sides, shorter locks of hair fell from the bun to frame Sakura’s face.

Rasa swallowed. This look suited her much better than the kimono he had picked out for her.

“You look uh, very nice.” He managed to say, then nodded to his son who was looking at him curiously. Rasa cleared his throat and waved to the couch for them to sit down more comfortably.

“Awamori?” Rasa offered to pour Sakura’s drink for her.

Sakura blinked. Awamori was a very strong drink. Tsunade tended to favor Sake, but drank Awamori occasionally. Sakura bit her bottom lip...Awamori was particularly strong for her and she knew her threshold for the drink was low. This could be bad.

“Do you have any Shikuwasa to go with it perhaps?” Sakura asked politely.

“Of course.” Rasa rose from the couch and walked to the counter along the wall pulling a bottle of the fruit juice off a shelf and bringing it to the table.

Rasa poured her drink for her, adding only a few drops of Shikuwasa, Sakura noticed, to the two inches of Awamori.

“Thank you.” Sakura took the drink from Rasa with a small grimace.

“Would you prefer something else?” Rasa noticed her less than pleased continence.

“Ah no, I’m sorry. I don’t drink that often and have no real head for spirits. This is fine though.” Sakura tried to smile as she took a small sip from her glass.

“I find a strong drink helps settle the stomach before a meal.” Rasa poured his own glass of Awamori sans fruit juice and took a sip of his own.

Gaara watched his father carefully, he was acting differently and he didn’t understand why.

Sakura noticed Gaara didn’t have a drink. She set her cup down and picked the bottle of juice up, pouring him some and handing the cup to him.

“Thank you.” Gaara smiled at her and she patted him on the head.

“Do you have younger siblings?” Rasa asked her.

“I don’t think so.” Sakura took another sip of her drink and pretended to think.

She had Naruto who was like a brother to her, if she had a real brother she imagined it would be much like their relationship. She frowned into her drink. 

Gaara reached out and placed his hand on her arm. He had seen her face fall and was concerned. Shukaku told him she had been through a lot and he wondered when her face fell, when she frowned like that was she thinking of those hard times…

“Sorry Gaara.” She smiled at the boy who set his drink down and climbed up onto her lap.

“You’re so good with my son I assumed you had siblings, my apologies Sakura.” Rasa set down his empty glass and refilled it again.

“You apologize to me a lot Kazekage Sama.” Sakura laughed.

Gaara looked from his father to Sakura, he did.

“I am in your debt, you saved Yashamaru’s life. Although my suspicions of you were warranted you are slowly gaining my trust. You wouldn’t have saved him if you planned on doing us harm.” 

“Unless I did it to gain your trust and set you off your guard.” Sakura said without thinking. She looked down at her cup, it was more than half gone. Had she drank that much? She hadn’t noticed.

Rasa filled her cup again for her, without adding any juice. Ignoring her protests.

“Dinner is ready Kazekage Sama.” An older man had entered the room and bowed low announcing dinner.

Sakura gulped down two more swallows of her drink trying to banish thoughts of Naruto from her mind.

“Thank you Kenta.” Rasa rose from his seat and offered Sakura his arm, taking her drink from her unresistant hand and placing it on the table.

Gaara climbed down from Sakura’s lap and watched her take his father’s arm, his father placing his other hand in the small of her back guiding her to the dining room. Gaara looked back at the table before he followed them. Sakura’s glass was half empty again while his father’s was still full. Why had she drank so much?

“This looks wonderful.” Sakura looked from dish to dish spread out across the table before them.

“Our family cook was pleased to hear we were having a guest tonight. He enjoys showing off his culinary skills and is always in search of new pallets to impress.” Rasa almost smiled at the delight in her eyes.

“My other children, Temari and Kankuro will not be joining us. My commander has taken them into the desert for survival training.” Rasa explained as he spooned some steamed vegetables onto his plate and handed them to Sakura.

Sakura spooned some of the vegetables onto Gaara’s plate then her own. “I don’t like vegetables.” Gaara crossed his arms and glared at the carrots and broccoli with malice.

“You’re going to eat them anyway. They’re good for you.” Sakura ignored his glare taking the stewed beef and shrimp dish from Rasa and adding a spoonful to Gaara’s plate next to his vegetables before ladling some onto her own.

“I don’t like shrimp.” Gaara complained again.

“Do you like helping me in the garden Gaara?” Sakura asked him kindly.

“Yes.” Gaara nodded at her suspiciously.

“Then you will eat everything on your plate or you will no longer be allowed to help me in the garden.” Sakura said sweetly, ruffling the red locks on his head.

“Allowed?” Gaara hissed.

“That’s right allowed, as in I will not allow you to help me, or to sneak into my bed anymore. Eating well is important, so you grow up big and strong.” She smiled at him, not at all put off by his snark.

Gaara opened his mouth to protest further but she cut him off much to Rasa’s amusement.

“Say one more word Gaara, and I’ll show you just how serious I am.” She gave him a narrowed side eye.

Gaara glared at her for two more heartbeats, picked up his chopsticks and stabbed a carrot pointedly and put it in his mouth.

“Don’t stab your food, it’s bad luck.” She patted him on the head while he chewed.

“You save lives, cure poisoned shinobi and get Gaara to eat his vegetables...what can’t you do I wonder?” Rasa raised an eyebrow to her.

“Find a way home.” She said quietly.

“Ah, you still can’t remember where you’re from or who your people are?” Rasa asked her.

“No.” Sakura picked up her own chopsticks and started eating even though she had lost her appetite now.

“I appreciate your presence here Sakura. What you have done for Gaara alone in this short time is, unheard of and then Yashamaru…” He trailed off not sure how to continue.

“I don’t want you to feel as though you aren’t welcome, you can stay here, if you like.” He ended.

Gaara smiled pleased with this idea.

“Thank you.” Sakura didn’t smile but met his eyes in acknowledgement of his generosity.

Rasa nodded. He didn’t understand the sadness in her eyes. Did she remember more than she was telling him. Had something terrible happened to her people?

Sakura picked at her plate for the rest of dinner, eating barely half, which Gaara was of course quick to point out to her.

“I’m an adult.” She told him when he looked at her with betrayal in his eyes.

“That isn’t a good reason, adults need to eat healthy too.” He insisted.

“Because I say so then.” Sakura countered laughing.

“That’s worse than your being an adult excuse.” He grumbled and yawned.

Rasa rang a bell from the middle of the table and the older gentleman from before stepped into the room.

“Please tell Megumu to come collect my son and get him ready for bed. Sakura and I will retire to the sitting room for after dinner drinks.” Rasa rose and offered Sakura his hand.

“It’s getting late, I should go. I can see that Gaara gets to bed.” Sakura started to move toward the red headed boy whose arms were already stretched out toward her but Rasa stopped her with his hand on her shoulder.

“I would appreciate it if you joined me in the sitting room. I have a proposal for the hospital I would like to speak with you about.” His hand was warm on her shoulder, she looked at it, then up to his face.

Standing this close, she realized how much taller Rasa was than Gaara had been as an adult. She knew it was because Gaara had been born premature, due to Shukaku’s influence and she wondered briefly if Gaara would have been as tall as Rasa if he hadn’t had Shukaku forced into him before birth. 

“Okay.” She blushed.

“I want Sakura to put me to bed. I can’t sleep without her.” Gaara immediately began to protest.

“I’ll come say goodnight to you before I leave, if it is okay with your father?” Sakura looked up to Rasa whose hand was still on her shoulder and found he was already looking down at her.

“Of course.” He took his hand from her shoulder and walked out of the dining room for the sitting room as Megumu entered the dining room from the other side.

Megumu rushed over to take Gaara from Sakura’s side assuring her she would make sure he got to his room and ready for bed safely.

Sakura thanked Megumu and kissed Gaara on his head, promising to see him before she left, then walked through the doors to the sitting room to join Rasa.

Gaara and Megumu watched Sakura disappear through the doors. 

“May kami help your father Gaara.” Megumu looked down at the boy with controlled fear.

She had gotten used to his solemn teal gazes but the fear of his rampages ran deep. She had lost friends to his last rampage but Sakura’s presence had helped her and she had started to see the boy in a new light. He smiled around the kunoichi, listened to her and had started to thank Megumu for her efforts because of the woman’s love and guidance.

Megumu only hoped this would all end well. She turned her head to the closed door of the sitting room. The woman was good with jinchuriki, was she as skilled with dealing with men? Megumu prayed it was so, for all of their sakes.

Rasa handed Sakura her newly filled glass of Awamori motioning her to sit down beside him on the couch. Sakura sat with the offered glass, inching away from him slightly. The couch was smaller than she would have liked. It was one thing to share it with Gaara, another to sit on it with Rasa. She wished he had sat on the other couch across from her like before but she didn’t wish to be rude and move, so she didn’t.

There were two reasons Rasa had invited Sakura into the sitting room for drinks after dinner. One was to propose she spend half of her time in the hospital guiding and teaching their current medics how to heal more efficiently and the other was to find out if she was sent there to seduce him.

She might not be a spy. She might not be an enemy at all, but before he placed her in his hospital among his dying and injured he wanted to rule out the last possibility, that she had been sent there for a seduction mission and assassination.

He had not witnessed the blocking and parting of his son’s sand that his Anbu had reported to him, he hadn’t seen her spin and turn to face Yashamaru on a broken leg, but he wasn’t a fool to think that perseverance and chakra control were the only weapons she possessed. He wouldn’t take any chances with his village or give his brother Sasori any reason to second guess his decision to keep her, if she would stay.

“Thank you for joining me for dinner tonight Sakura. I wished to speak with you about your healing skills. They are like nothing I have ever seen before.” Rasa began.

“Would you consider working in the hospital part time, and perhaps teaching our current medical staff how to improve their own healing skills?” He took a deep swallow of his drink.

“You medical staff would not welcome my interference or my opinion.” Sakura remembered the medical staff of her own time in Suna and how they had hated her at first and had only tolerated her at Gaara’s insistence.

She would have Rasa’s insistence she told her herself but shook her head. “You have given me a cottage for looking after Gaara, that is enough.”

Her refusal was polite but unexpected. He had honestly thought she would jump at the opportunity to have people under her, to gain a solid foothold in Suna, if she planned on staying. Perhaps...she didn’t wish to stay?

“The medical staff would treat you with the respect you deserve. I would make sure of it. We would pay you a small salary of course.” He offered, he owed her more than a cottage for her assistance with Gaara alone.

Sakura took a drink from her glass while she thought, then another...was it right? Should she invest her time here? What if she found a way to get home, to her time, wouldn’t it make it that much harder for her to leave if she continued to make bonds like this?

Rasa could see her indecision and pressed on, leaning forward. “I would allow you freedom to make changes in the hospital as you saw fit.” He tried to sweeten the offer.

She had never run a hospital on her own before. She had always been under Lady Tsunade or Shizune. Sakura was seriously considering his offer, she had always wanted to run the hospital on her own, she knew she could do it if she was given the chance. Without thinking, because she was so deep in thought she lifted her glass to her lips again and drank deeply.

Rasa watched the woman empty her glass of almost pure Awamori, his mouth twitched. ‘Did it not burn her throat’, he wondered. She drank it like it was water.

Sakura set her glass down on the table a bit too hard, she blinked in surprise looking down at the glass, it was empty. She frowned, had she drank it all, already? Her green eyes lifted to Rasa’s brown ones, he was watching her carefully, she wondered why.

Closing her eyes she felt her head spin slowly and immediately opened them again to find Rasa was still watching her. “Forgive me Kazekage Sama. I was not paying attention.”

“You are a very skilled healer, it is my wish to make staying here in Suna with Gaara and I as tempting as possible.” Rasa said smoothly, his tone calmer and more fluid. He looked down at his own glass and realized he may have drank a bit more than he had originally planned to as well.

Sakura blinked. “Stay in Suna?” Her voice was small, her thoughts moving without her consent to her Gaara of her time.

‘After the war, I’d like you to come to Suna, to stay with me’, isn’t that what he had said? ...or had he said to visit…

“I wanted to stay with you but then I got ripped away…” Her voice trailed off.

“Ripped away?” Rasa asked, confused by her answer.

“Did I say that out loud?” She asked herself out loud.

“Who were you ripped away from?” Rasa moved closer to her, his body turned toward hers, his knee moved against her thigh.

“Kazekage, he…” She pulled herself from her stupor. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ she scolded herself pushing chakra to her fingertips to burn the alcohol from her bloodstream.

“Wait.” Rasa grabbed her hands in his. “What are you doing?” He demanded not understanding what she was going to clear her own head and not attack him.

“You sound just like him, when he doesn’t understand why I’m taking risks.” Sakura smiled sweetly at Rasa, her eyes looking at him, but looking past him.

Rasa’s eyes softened, she was looking at him but seeing something else, he could tell.

“Did you leave someone behind, did you remember something?” He realized he still had her hands in his and dropped them quickly.

“I’m sorry.” He said embarrassed.

“So similar.” Sakura reached a hand up, reaching for Rasa’s face, stopping midway, catching herself. “...but you’re not him.” Tears came to her eyes and she stood up abruptly, swaying slightly.

Rasa rose with her, he wanted to know who she was talking about, it might give him a clue where she was from if he knew some of her associates. 

“I’m not who, Sakura?” He took a half step toward her and she took two steps back.

“It doesn’t matter. This was foolish of me. I know better, shisou taught me better.” She pressed a finger to her head and burned some of the alcohol away, enough to clear her mind.

A tear dropped from her lashes to her cheek and she realized she had made an even larger fool of herself than she had thought, crying in front of the Kazekage. 

“I’m a fool.” She bowed to Rasa and turned running from the room, out the door back to her cottage.

Rasa stood still for a moment, thinking hard, but it was impossible with the alcohol in his system. He had to focus, what she had said was important he knew. He felt her moving toward the cottage, felt his son slip out of his window and follow her. He moved to the second floor, pulling the door to the balcony open and stepped outside in time to see Gaara open the garden gate to the cottage and slip inside her bedroom window.

Sakura turned at the small shuffling noise coming from her bedroom. Gaara appeared at the bedroom door running to her and hugging her legs.

“You said you would see me before you left.” He looked up at her with angry eyes but stopped when he saw her tears.

“Did my father make you cry?” Gaara demanded, his sand rose up and started swirling around him in agitation.

“No Gaara, I’m okay I just...was remembering someone from my past, someone who had meant a lot to me. Someone I loved very much.” She gathered the small boy in her arms and stepped into her bedroom.

“It’s late Gaara, let’s go to bed.” Sakura set him on her futon and untied her kimono top to her dressing clothes underneath. Setting the pants next to the top she pulled the covers down on her futon and slid inside pulling Gaara with her.

Gaara snuggled up closer to her and buried his face in her pillow beside her head, peeking up at her face.

“Are you going to be okay?” He asked her.

“Yes. I’m sorry, go to sleep. I’ll be better in the morning.” Sakura kissed his head and closed her eyes, two more tears slipping from her lashes to fall onto her cheeks and slide down the side of her face where Gaara caught them with his hand and wiped them away.

“Gaara.” Sakura opened her eyes to look at the little boy. “I love you Gaara.”

Gaara swallowed and lay still, his heart beating hard in his chest. No one had ever told him they loved him, he had started to believe it wasn’t possible for anyone to love him. ...but she, Sakura, had just proven that anything was possible, even love.

“I love you too Sakura.” He gripped her fingers in his little hands at a vain attempt to get even closer to her than he already was.

“Promise, promise me you won’t leave me.” He begged her.

“I promise Gaara.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “I don’t ever want to be without you again, even if you’re a little boy now and not the man I once knew.”

Gaara didn’t understand, but he didn’t care. She had promised, she had promised to be with him, always, and he would hold her to that promise, no matter what.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, not canon. Keep in mind how someone would act if a major part of them had changed. so for those who think more than ages and events are out of canon, try to remember that for the personality aspect of the characters going forward.

“It’s past noon Rasa.” Cool amber eyes looked down at the Kazekage who was still laying in his bed.

“You disappoint me. I leave on a week long mission and come back to you neglecting your Kazekage duties.” The voice continued to chastise the Kage.

“Sasori. You’re back.” Rasa’s mouth felt like cotton, very dry disgusting flavored cotton.

“Clearly.” Sasori’s bored voice filled his head making it throb even more than it already was.

“You reek like a distillery, whatever were you up to last night?” Sasori picked the empty bottle of Awamori up from the nightstand that he had grabbed on his way into his brother’s room from the sitting room and threw it hard into the trash can...making an extremely loud crashing noise. The Kazekage groaned.

Sasori smirked. “Serves you right. No one was in your office to greet me upon my return to the village.”

“Is that why you’re so pissed off Sasori, since when do you want anyone to welcome you back to the village?” Rasa threw his feet over the side of his bed and stood up slowly, hand to his head.

“I don’t. I did however notice you weren’t there.” Sasori looked around the room, there weren’t any signs of debauchery that he could see, his eyes focused back on his brother.

“I’ll give you my report when you’re more...alive.” Sasori smirked again and walked out of the room before Rasa had a chance to tell him about Sakura.

“Gaara come at me again, you won’t hurt me I promise!” Sakura called out to the boy across the training field from her.

Having burned all the alcohol from her blood stream the night before she had woken up without the hangover Rasa was sure to wake up with, once he woke up. Megumu had giggled that morning when she had made Sakura and Gaara their breakfast, telling them the Kazekage was still laying in his bed sleeping off the alcohol he and Sakura had consumed the night before.

Megumu had poked and teased Skaura trying to get any juicy gossip from her but Sakura swore nothing had happened. Nothing had happened. 

After breakfast Sakura had asked Gaara to show her the training grounds he had told her she could use before, which led them to where they were now, sparing with one another.

Gaara unleashed a stream of sand with the full force of his strength at Sakura, a worried look in his eye. She had told him to, had sworn she could handle it but he still wasn’t sure. He watched his sand fly across the field at her, watched her brace her feet and punch the stream of sand with a force of impact that visibly broke the stream into two. Sand cascaded and flowed around her, temporarily blocking her from view.

“Gaara? You know how to dodge right?” Sakura asked from the middle of the sand blast.

“Yes. Why?” He asked, his eyes narrowed.

“Because I’m going to hit you!” Sakura leapt up into the air and came down on him from above, a smile on her face.

Before she could stop herself like she had planned chakra string whipped out of nowhere and wrapped around her arms binding them to her sides, and whipped her through the air into the side of a nearby ruin.

“Sakura!” Gaara’s sand rose in the air and flew out toward her.

“Gaara, who is this woman?” Sasori touched down beside his nephew, his hands out before him, chakra strings attached to Sakura where they were still wrapped around her as she lay on the ground groaning.

“Don’t hurt her!” Gaara yelled and shot sand out at his Uncle, whose look of surprise did nothing to slow his little nephew from trying to lock him down with his sand.

“What do you think you’re doing boy? Have you finally lost your mind to that filthy beast inside your head?” Sasori drawled.

“Impossible.” A female voice from behind caught both male’s attention.

“You’re not supposed to be here, you’re...supposed to be dead...or with them but not here.” Sakura stood up and shook the dust and sand from her clothes.

“Do I know you?” Sasori flicked a grain of sand from his sleeve and raised a perfect eyebrow at the woman in front of him.

She had pink hair he noticed, and green eyes, how...unusual, he mused.

“Do you know me…” Sakura stood still, no he didn’t, in this time they had never met ...but she sure as hell knew him.

“Don’t make me repeat myself girl and stop repeating my words back to me lest someone think you’re an idiot of some sort.” His amber eyes roamed appreciatively over her body.

Sakura snarled and growled pushing chakra to her fists. “You bastard, you fucking sadistic bastard!” She screamed and leapt into the air.

Sasori cocked his head to the side and watched as she flew through the air toward him. “Interesting.” 

Raising his arms out in front of him he shot chakra strings from his fingers, caught her ankle and pulled with one hand and pulled a scroll from his pouch with the other.

Twisting in mid air Sakura gathered his strings in her chakra infused hand and yanked, using the strength of his chakra strings to change his intended trajectory, then kicked off the wall hard behind her meeting his puppet in the air.

Sasori’s mouth twitched, as he pulled his strings to the left moving his puppets arm, pulling the poisoned blade from its sheath and sending the puppet flying at the woman once more.

Gaara watched in horror, he was no match for his Uncle, not yet and so he ran, ran to the main house to find his father, or his brother or sister, anyone that could help.

Rasa buckled his pouch around his waist and groaned again. Why had he drank so much...he hadn’t realized he had drank so much. “That’s one thing we have in common.” He muttered to himself, thinking of how much Sakura had drunk.

Gaara burst through his bedroom door making Rasa pull up his golden sand around him in defense.

“Gaara, what is wrong, where is Sakura?” Rasa didn’t like the look of his boy, his eyes were wild and his lip was quivering.

“Uncle Sasori, the training grounds, they’re fighting.” Tears poured down Gaara’s face.

“Sasori? Oh shit.” Rasa picked his son up and ran from the room toward the training grounds with Gaara tucked up and under his arm.

“Sakura and I were sparing and Uncle came and attacked her. He threw her into a brick wall!” Gaara was growling as Rasa ran across the village.

“Did she get back up? Gaara, did she get back up?” Rasa leapt from rooftop to rooftop as quickly as he could with his son under his arm.

“She yelled at him and jumped into the air pulling on his chakra string with her hand and…” Gaara’s explanation was cut short.

Rasa paused on the next roof. “What the hell is that?”

A cloud of dust and sand rose up from the training grounds and the entire village shook.

“It’s Sakura.” Gaara looked up at his father.

“That was Sakura?” Rasa looked down at his son who looked back up at him.

“She can punch craters into the ground.” Gaara smiled at his father.

Rasa flew to the training grounds, a pain in his side from where Gaara had gripped his shirt along with his skin.

“Is that all you’ve got little girl?” Sasori’s arrogant voice could be heard through the dust and the debris.

“Not by a long shot asshole!” Sakura screamed, shooting up above the clouds of dust overhead, her arm cocked back, she shot down into the cloud and Sasori’s Salamander puppet flew out the other end of the dust cloud...in pieces.

“Holy shit.” Rasa set his son down who ran into the cloud before them without a word.

“Sakura!” Gaara called out to her. “Sakura!”

“Stay back Gaara!” Sakura yelled from a different place on the field.

‘She’s moving’, Rasa realized. “Wind style, Air Wave!” Rasa sent out a massive wave of air to clear the dust and debri, he needed to know what was going on.

“Ah Rasa.” Sasori turned to look at his brother. 

“Care to explain this?” His hand waved gracefully in front of him where Sakura was quite successfully and ruthlessly breaking his Black Ant puppet into pieces one chakra filled punch at a time.

“I’m coming for you next Sasori!” Sakura kicked the last piece of Black Ant out of her way and raced across the field charging Sasori, making several hand signs as she ran. “Water style, Water Bullets” Quick shots of water shot from her mouth making Sasori jump and dodge to avoid them.

“Tsk.” He said annoyed that she had made him move. Chakra strings shot out from his fingers again and Sakura smiled. Too late Sasori saw the curve of her lips, too late did he attempt to pull his chakra threads back from her.

Sakura grabbed one string after another wrapping them around her wrist, “Ahhh Cha!” She inhaled and pulled with all her might whipping Sasori up and into the air by his chakra strings, her first flying toward his face.

There was no time, no way for him to avoid the blow. “I’ve got you.” She grinned.

Golden sand encased his brother. “Harden.” Rasa moved his hand into the shape of a claw and hardened his golden sand into a golden ball of protection around Sasori.

Sakura’s fist made contact with the metal, a loud resounding clang rang throughout Suna. The golden ball fell to the ground with a thud. Sakura landed on her feet beside the ball and drew her fist back to hit the ball again but Rasa leapt forward and grabbed her arm drawing it back against his chest. 

“Sakura stop, please.” Rasa held the woman, her back to his chest subduing her.

“Let me go!” She kicked her foot back, hitting Rasa in the knee, stepped to the side, hooked his ankle with her own and pulled her leg back, bringing his body forward and off balance. Pushing him off and to the side she turned to punch the golden ball once more but found she was surrounded by Anbu.

“Sakura, calm down now!” Rasa rose from the ground and dusted himself off.

Rasa released his golden sand and the ball crumbled around Sasori who was glaring at the pink haired woman in annoyance.

“I see you’ve failed to inform me of our new...friend here Rasa. She tried to kill me.” Sasori’s eye remained on Sakura even though he had been speaking to his brother.

“I would have killed you if Rasa hadn’t interfered.” Sakura growled and took a step toward Sasori but Rasa pulled her back.

Sasori scoffed. “As if you could kill me.” He noted she hadn’t used Rasa’s title and had spoken to him with much familiarity, ‘interesting’. She also didn’t seem to have a problem yelling at the Kazekage, Sasori smirked in her face.

Sasori spoke with confidence but if his brother hadn’t stopped the girl...he might be dead right now, her attack had been unavoidable.

“Enough Sasori.” Rasa looked from his brother to Sakura. His brother thrived on garnering strong reactions from those around him for his own amusement. Sakura had a look of pure hatred in her eyes and...pain as she glared at his brother. Had her village been one of the villages Sasori had destroyed? That would certainly explain her hatred for him but...Sasori never left survivors.

‘She is a rare healer’, he reminded himself, had she survived because of her skill as a healer?

“Kazekage Sama. Would you like us to take the kunoichi into custody?” The captain of the Anbu asked politely.

Sakura stiffened in his arms, he could feel her energy pulsing...she would fight them, she would fight them all he realized.

“No.” Rasa tightened his grip on Sakura’s arm so she couldn’t pull away from him.

“But sir.” The captain began to protest.

“He said no!” Gaara sent a wave of sand out from his palms knocking all the Anbu down to their knees so that they knelt before his father and Sakura.

Gaara moved over to Sakura and reached his arms up to her. Rasa looked down at his son and released Sakura’s arm, if she had his son in her arms she wouldn’t be trying to punch his brother to death...would she?

Sakura bent down and scooped the little boy up into her arms as Rasa had predicted she would. Gaara tangled his little fingers into her hair and laid his head on her shoulder.

“Are you okay Sakura?” Gaara asked her. Her whole body was still shaking with rage as she held him.

“I don’t know.” She grit her teeth as she looked at Sasori who still hadn’t looked away from her. Sakura narrowed her eyes at the man who smiled a genuine smile in return. It infuriated her.

“How do you know my brother Sakura?” Rasa asked after dismissing the Anbu so that it was only his brother, his son and the woman there to hear her answer.

“He attacked my friends and because of him my friend…” She choked and hugged Gaara tighter. “...died.”

“You remember? Do you remember where your village is, what village you’re from?” Rasa asked her.

“No but, I remember I hate him.” Sakura thrust her finger out at Sasori who merely raised his eyebrow at her again.

“Amnesia is it?” He scoffed at her again. “How...convenient.”

“You fucking asshole.” She went to put Gaara down but Rasa stopped her.

“That’s enough Sakura. I can’t have you killing my brother in his own village while I watch, can I?” Rasa asked her reasonably.

“Brother?” Sakura said ignoring Gaara’s tugging of her sleeve.

Sasori watched his little jinchuriki nephew pull on the woman’s sleeve, he had watched with mild surprise when the woman had picked him up earlier and hugged him close. Sasori smirked as the woman continued to glare at him with dark green eyes full of hatred and loathing.

“Yes, I am his brother, as he said. Akasuna no Sasori, by name but ...you already knew that didn’t you my dear?” Sasori cocked his head at her again. She showed no sign of surprise, no hint of intrigue, only hatred and of course...loathing. Sasori was amused, very amused.

“Shut up puppet.” Sakura growled again.

“Puppet? You imply I am a puppet?” Sasori narrowed his eyes at the girl...did she know?

“You are a puppet, of course you are!” Sakura waved her hands in the air.

She paused thinking. “Aren’t you?”

“No my dear.” Sasori smiled at her, her eyes had changed he noted, they were a lighter green, her eye color changed with her mood, ‘How...charming’, he thought and how ‘Attractive’.

“I would be happy to prove it to you if you like?” Sasori smirked at her expression. It had changed from anger to disgust back to anger so quickly he wondered how her facial nerves could keep up with her emotions. He had never met anyone so expressive before.

“Sasori.” Rasa warned, making his brother turn to him in inquiry.

“Is she yours?” Sasori asked, genuinely curious.

“No, but she is under my protection. She is a very talented medic nin and Gaara’s new caretaker. I respect her.” Rasa spoke more relaxed now that he was sure Sakura wasn’t going to stab, punch or bite his brother and that Sasori wasn’t going to impale, slice or maim his new pet project.

“I’ve never met a medic nin who could fight like her, she must be a terrible medic Rasa, what could you possibly be thinking?” Sasori hummed to himself in interest. ‘Medic nin who can fight on the front lines’...she had his attention before but now...she would be hard pressed to get rid of him...if it were true.

Rasa saw his brother’s compliment for what it was but doubted Sakura had caught it, disguised as an insult as Sasori had intended. He hardly ever complimented anyone and if he did it was always accompanied by an insult. He didn’t believe in generous and frivolous admiration.

“She made an antidote to your poison and saved Yashamaru’s life. He was attacked by the border patrol and had one of your poisoned kunai used against him. She drew the poison out of his body then immediately went to the greenhouses and made an antidote for him. Yashamaru said you couldn’t even make an antidote to that poison...your own poison.” Rasa twisted the proverbial knife in his brother’s side.

Rasa would make Sasori respect Sakura. He had to be able to have them in the same room without trying to kill one another, for the good of Suna.

“Impossible.” Sasori looked at the woman with carefully controlled expressionless eyes.

It was Sakura’s turn to smirk, she recognized that look. He was hiding his emotions. Maybe he wasn’t a puppet after all. Yet. She put both of her hands on her hips.

“Actually, it’s not. I did make an antidote to your irresponsible poison.” She taunted him satisfied to be able to see the shock on his face this time, something she had been deprived of in her time.

“Irresponsible?” Sasori glared at her. “Did you nag Yashamaru for getting poisoned for his own kunai after you saved his worthless life? What kind of an idiot gets poisoned by his own kunai?” Sasori put his hands on his own hips, imitating her to annoy her.

Sakura paused, he was different than she remembered, he was more...human.

Sasori saw her expression change and it puzzled him. “What is it girl?”

“Uh, nothing, sorry.” Sakura turned and picked Gaara back up, kissing the top of his head and walked off, stunned.

“Where is she going?” Sasori asked his brother confused by the woman’s abrupt docile departure after she had just tried to murder him.

“To her cottage with Gaara I imagine.” Rasa watched Sakura walk away.

“Cottage?” Sasori’s head whipped back to his brother. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“I did.” Rasa deadpanned.

Sasori face palmed and groaned.


	11. Chapter 11

“Sakura?” Gaara had watched the woman pace back and forth in her small cottage for the last fifteen minutes like a bristled cat muttering to herself about puppets and poison masters.

“I’m fine.” Sakura stopped and clenched her fists to her sides. “Fine.” She said and continued to pace back and forth in front of him.

‘Best not to speak to her right now boy. Let her stew and vent, she will be her happy self soon enough’, Shukaku told him calmly.

‘Why is she so upset? It’s like she hates Uncle Sasori but she’s never met him before. I don’t understand’, Gaara protested to the tanuki.

Shukaku chuckled. ‘She’s met him before, in her dreams’, the voice chuckled again.

‘In her dreams, she told me she didn’t dream about my Uncle’, Gaara growled, had she lied to him?

‘Not like that boy, cease your petty jealousy’, Shukaku sighed.

‘But you said’, Gaara began again.

‘Her dreams are not just dreams to her, she tells you they are dreams because there is no other way to explain how she knows what she does’, Shukaku tried to explain Sakura’s situation to the boy. He owed her several debts for Gaara, and for himself. 

‘So her dreams are real?’, Gaara asked, getting excited.

“Yes, and your Uncle tried to kill her before, he had almost succeeded but in the end, it was she who killed him...although…’, Shukaku trailed off, the boy didn’t need to know everything, it would cause more problems for Sakura. Shukaku knew the boy now wasn’t the same as the man he would become.

‘Be patient Gaara. Like I am being patient with you.’ Shukaku lifted his head and his yellow eyes flashed.

Gaara swallowed, he had never seen the tailed beast, had never known who the voice in his head had been, but now...he could both see and hear him. 

‘Shukaku?’, Gaara asked tentatively.

‘Hum?’, Shukaku laid his head back down and swished his tail behind him.

‘Why did you stop hating me?’, He asked. Shukaku's voice before Sakura had come into his life had been terrifying to him, he had been so mean and cruel to him, threatening him, his family, his village with blood and destruction, but now...he was docile, helpful and...completely different.

Shukaku didn’t answer him right away...Gaara thought perhaps the beast was going to ignore him and he sighed.

‘Sakura is...special to us. She saved us in more than one way Gaara. Never forget that and always treat her with respect.’ Shukaku laid his head back down on his paws and rolled over presenting his back to the boy, their conversation was over.

‘Special to us’, yes, she was. Gaara laid down on the couch in the living room and continued to watch Sakura pace back and forth.

“She drew the poison out of your chest with water?” Sasori looked at Yashamaru in disbelief.

“That’s what I said.” Yashamaru glared at his brother by marriage.

He and Sasori had never gotten along very well. The man was arrogant, cruel and enjoyed playing with his victims far too much for Yashamaru’s taste. Right now however, Yashamaru was pissed that Sasori had attacked Sakura.

“Don’t be coy with me Yashamaru.” Sasori was annoyed.

“She admitted she was unable to draw the rest of my poison from your body though?” Sasori continued his interrogation..

Yashamaru nodded, unsure how much to tell the man.

“And the antidote she gave you?” Sasori tapped his finger on his leg, he wanted to speak with the woman herself and to stop wasting his time questioning this idiot but he was sure she would either refuse to speak to him or try to hit him again.

“Worked.” Yashamaru smirked at the redhead as he bristled in front of him like a pissed off cat.

“She is better than even you Sasori.” Yashamaru taunted. 

“You claimed it was impossible to create an antidote for your poison, boasted of it in fact, and here she found one, made one from your own greenhouse and proved you wrong.”

“She was in my greenhouse?” Sasori thought he remembered Rasa saying something about that.

Sasori rose from his seat and walked out the door without a backward glance. She better not have messed anything up in his greenhouse, he hated people in his greenhouse touching his things, making messes and ruining things in general. 

Rasa was the only one allowed in his greenhouse because he never touched anything or did anything but look while he was there but this girl...this ‘medic nin’, had been in his greenhouse and had made an antidote to his poison…

He pushed open the door to his greenhouse and stepped inside looking around. All of his plants looked to be in order. He moved to his work table and froze. Leaning over and picking up a dirty beaker he considered it’s contents, swirling it around in front of his eyes. Looking around to make sure he was alone he brought the beaker to his nose and sniffed.

Sasori’s eyes widened in shock…”Impossible”. 

He looked at the other items scattered across his table that the kunoichi must have left out when she had used his greenhouse and noticed they were all cleaned and laid out in order, if not the order he usually kept them in.

‘Why leave the beaker?’, he wondered.

“Ah.” he said to himself. She had cleaned as she went and when the final product had been completed she had rushed it to his idiot brother by marriage and administered her creation, thus saving his pathetic life and prolonging his annoying existence. Sasori hummed in thought...her talents were being wasted babysitting that brat.

Sasori grabbed a clean vial from his rack and poured the rest of the antidote Sakura had created inside, then corked it. He set the beaker in the sink and filled it with water, he would come back to that later. Right now...he wanted to see what the pink haired enigma was up to. Sasori left his greenhouse, tucking the antidote into his pocket as the door closed behind him.

He would never admit it to anyone of course, but he had been impressed. She had held her own against him and had...almost beaten him. She was strong. He tapped his tongue on the roof of his mouth...she had thought he had been a puppet...like that other man, four years ago. Were they connected? Did they know one another? Sasori pushed the thought from his mind, a foolish endevour. It was in the past.

His poison however, was serious. Someone who could create an antidote...on the spot, for a poison even he himself hadn’t been able to create one for was...dangerous, a threat and...amazing. Sasori leapt up onto the roofs and ran across the village to the main house and cottage, dropping down outside the gate in the shadows of the late afternoon sun.

The woman was there with his nephew. He had seen the boy’s shoulders stiffen, but the woman hadn’t. The boy knew he was there, but it was clear the woman wasn’t a sensory nin. Sasori found himself a little disappointed, then scoffed at himself. What did he care? He didn’t even know her.

Sasori stepped back further into the shadows and watched the woman digging in the soil by her feet.

“Where do you get your soil from Gaara?” Sakura asked the little boy beside her. She had paced until she could pace no more. She had needed to do something relaxing, something productive. So they had gone out into the garden to relocate some of the plants.

“Konoha, it’s the best.” Gaara smiled up at her.

Sakura smiled back, “So it is, does it come with the merchants?” She asked him as she popped the last of the roots out of the soil and laid the plant gently on it’s side with several others she had already removed from their original home.

“No, we have a special carrier that comes, for my Uncle Sasori. The soil in this garden is the second hand soil that Sasori cast off, not deeming it worthy for his greenhouse.” Gaara explained as he helped her carry the plants to the other side of the garden...closer to where his Uncle was hiding.

“The greenhouse is Sasori’s?” Sakura pursed her lips in amusement and Sasori narrowed his eyes as he watched her.

“Yes, no one is allowed in there except for Uncle and my father.” Gaara took one of the plants from the pile and handed it to Sakura.

Sakura took the plant from him and paused over the small hole she had just dug for it. “I doubt Sasori will be pleased to know I was in his greenhouse, but at least I cleaned everything up.” She placed the plant in the hole and gently covered it’s roots up.

“Oh no.” She stopped mid reach for another plant. “I forgot to clean the beaker with the rest of the antidote I made, he’ll be upset. I know I hate it when people leave my work station a mess or use my things without permission.” She bit the inside of her lip.

“Maybe I should go and…” She rose to her feet but Gaara stopped her.

“I will apologize to him for you. Don’t go. Let’s finish transplanting the plants, or they will die.” He pulled gently on her sleeve to bring her attention back to him and away from his Uncle and his greenhouse.

Sasori smirked, so his little nephew was already possessive of the woman, how close were they, he wondered. She had forgotten and rushed out with the antidote like he had thought...she felt bad for leaving the beaker dirty…

Sasori watched Gaara and Sakura finish planting the rest of their plants, but left after they had watered them and began digging up new ones in a different part of the garden. It was clear to him the woman was skilled in both combat and medicine, but how skilled was she at killing he wondered.

Megumu came out of the front door to the cottage just as Sasori walked by. Megumu bowed low to the man with respect and just as she thought Sasori was going to walk by her and ignore her as he usually did he stopped and turned to look at her. Megumu immediately bowed her head again. 

Gaara had a monster inside of him, but his Uncle Sasori was a different kind of monster all together. He was infamous from the last war, his war crimes, not even considered crimes to Suna, terrified the rest of the shinobi world and his...rumoured hobby...Megumu shuddered before him.

“Why are you here and not in the main house?” Sasori demanded of her.

“Kazekage Sama gave me to Sakura Sama.” Megumu kept her head bowed as she spoke.

“Sakura Sama?” He scoffed, she had a title now? Rasa was far too trusting for his own good.

“Yes. My Lady is a kind person who needs little assistance, but I am pleased to be of assistance to her.” Megumu liked Sakura, she could tell Sasori did not like her mistress and it irked her enough to boldness.

“A Lady is she?” Sasori narrowed his eyes at the maid and looked past her to the door of the cottage.

Maybe Rasa had been wise afterall to keep the woman close. Gaara adored her, that much was clear to him, Yashamaru was practically infatuated with the woman and now this maid...who had never spoken more than was required from her to him was singing her praises.

“Please excuse me Sasori Sama. I need to go to the market for my lady.” Megumu bowed again low and began to walk away when Sasori stopped her again.

“For what? What does the woman need from the market?” Sasori wanted to know more about the pink haired menace and her maid would be a good source of information. The more he thought of the woman the more she annoyed him.

“Nothing special Sasori Sama.” Megumu turned again to leave but Sasori grabbed her wrist with one of his chakra string and spun her around.

“Answer me.” He hissed. “Or I’ll punish you.”

Megumu’s lip started to quiver and her body began to shake.

“What the hell is going on here? What the hell are you doing to my friend?” Sakura had come around the side of the small cottage and had seen him send his chakra string out and corner Megumu.

“Friend?” Sasori scoffed again, it seemed he knew how to do nothing else around the woman and he was disappointed in himself for being less than creative.

“Yeah, she’s my friend. Let her go.” Sakura stomped up to Sasori and poked him in the chest.

Gaara’s eyes went wide. No one had ever touched his Uncle before...and lived.

Sasori looked at the woman with narrowed eyes, she had poked him...in the chest. Sakura continued to glare at Sasori while Megumu dropped to her knees.

“Please Sakura Sama, this is not necessary, I am not worthy of your intervention.” Megumu started to cry. Her lady would be punished for this for sure and it would be her fault. Megumu felt terrible.

“Huh? Of course you are, we’re friends.” Sakura didn’t understand the woman sometimes, did she not know they were friends?

Sasori released his chakra string and stepped back watching the two women, fascinated by the interaction.

“We’re friends?” Megumu looked up at Sakura.

“Unless...you don’t want to be?” Sakura began to second guess herself, did the woman only pretend to like her because Rasa told her to?

“Oh no! I would like that, very much.” Megumu stood and bowed to Sakura.

“Me too.” Sakura reached out and hugged the woman who hugged her back...awkwardly.

Gaara smiled as he stood next to his Uncle.

“How odd, what an odd woman.” Sasori mused, his irritation dissipating.

“Sakura is special.” Gaara spoke quietly beside him and Sasori looked down at his little nephew while the women continued to talk.

“Is she?” Sasori looked back to Sakura who was smiling again, her eyes shining. There does seem to be...something about her that…”

“Very special, and mine.” Gaara walked away from his Uncle to the woman and raised his hands up at her.

Sasori snorted at his nephew’s words. ‘Mine’. Did the boy know the meaning of the word...

Sakura bent over and picked the boy up, bracing his weight on her hip and she continued to talk to Megumu, forgetting Sasori.

Sasori didn’t seem to mind even if he wasn’t used to being ignored...or yelled at.

“The merchants should be back in the next two weeks Sakura Sama, I will check for the Nara antlers then.” Megumu bowed and picked up her basket for the market.

“Thank you Megumu.” Sakura turned back around, saw Sasori and seemed to remember why she had been there in the first palace. Setting Gaara down she glared at the man.

Sasori watched with controlled interest as her smile fell and she immediately began to scowl at him. Did she really hate him that much? He wondered what he could possibly have done to the woman, for surely with hair and eyes like that he would have remembered meeting her before.

Thoughts of another clouded his head again, another he had had no recollection of meeting, that had known him on sight...and had hated him, as much as this woman seemed to…

“You should grow your hair out, you would be much more beautiful if your hair were longer.” He told her without thinking.

“What?” Her face went blank, she had not been expecting him to say such a thing to her at all.

“What do you want Nara deer antlers for?” He asked her ignoring her question as well as his own.

“Soldier pills.” She answered him, looking him over with a look between hostility and curiosity.

‘Everything she thinks shows on her face’, Sasori noticed.

Sakura watched the Puppet Master watch her. She would never admit it to anyone but her Gaara but she had been fascinated with the man, after she had defeated him. She had pitied him and hated him at the same time. His core, the way he made his human puppets was a medical marvel. Grotesque and horrifying yes, but his brilliance couldn’t be denied. The man was a genius.

Kankuro had shown her some of Sasori’s books and journals during the war, she had been fascinated with his writings and medical knowledge. There were so many questions she had wanted to ask the man then, but couldn’t...now that he was here in front of her though...she bit her bottom lip and wondered if…

“What are you thinking girl?” Sasori’s voice was light, almost...normal. It lacked his usual disdain and arrogance and caught her off guard.

“You.” Sakura blurted out, her face flamed red with embarrassment.

“I meant, your puppets and your medical knowledge, not you as a ...person.” She could see he wasn’t a puppet, the seam on his neck was missing, unlike before and she stared at him in wonder.

‘If he wasn’t a puppet...why wasn’t he a puppet?’, she frowned at her own thoughts.

“You really aren’t a puppet are you?” Sakura reached out her hand to touch his face, but stopped. ‘What is wrong with me, first Rasa now Sasori’, she went to pull her hand back but Sasori took her hand in his.

His hand was warm, her eyes flashed in surprise and her lips parted as she looked at him, his amber eyes held hers.

“I’m not a puppet.” He said without tone, watching her.

“Sakura.” Gaara didn’t like his Uncle touching her, he didn’t like the way Sakura was looking at his Uncle.

Sakura looked down at Gaara. “Oh Gaara. I’m so sorry.” Sakura pulled her hand from Sasori’s and picked Gaara back up. 

“Let’s go visit Yashamaru shall we?” She smiled and kissed his nose.

“I’ll come with you.” Sasori fell into step beside her as she walked toward the hospital.

“That isn’t necessary Sasori San.” Sakura felt like she was in a dream, or at least caught between a dream and a nightmare, walking with Gaara in her arms, beside Sasori of the Red Sand, in Suna, to check on Yashamaru…

“Perhaps not, but I will be joining you all the same.” He said with annoyingly false pleasantries.

Sakura rolled her eyes and Sasori chuckled to himself in his head. She was going to be very entertaining, he could already tell.

The trio walked in silence to the hospital. The sun was hot and Sakura sighed in relief as they entered the air conditioned hallways of the hospital.

“Not used to the heat I see.” Sasori commented looking at her with his piercing amber eyes again.

Sakura ignored him, turning left at a brisk pace. Sasori snorted...did the woman think she could lose him by a mere increase in her step? Preposterous.

“Sakura Sama, Yashamaru Sama has been asking for you but I...oh! Sasori Sama, forgive me. I did not see you with Sakura Sama.” The nurse Sakura had placed Yashamaru’s lunch order with yesterday bowed low to Sasori.

When Sasori didn’t say anything the nurse turned back to Sakura. “Yashamaru Sama would like to know if he can be discharged today. I didn’t know where to locate you since your office isn’t ready yet so…”

“My office?” Sakura asked in surprise.

“Yes, the office the Kazekage is building for you.” The nurse bowed again.

“...but I didn’t say I would do it yet!” Sakura huffed. “I am so sick of men telling me what to do and making decisions on their own!” Sakura stomped down the hall and pushed Yashamaru’s hospital door open with a slight slam.

Yashamaru leapt from his bed landing in a crouch beside it, kunai in his hand.

“Sorry.” Sakura was still fuming but recognized the irony of the situation and her anger began to fade.

Yashamaru smiled and got back into his bed. “I deserved that for doing it to you, only, you’re a much better healer than I am and my leg is no longer broken.”

Sasori strolled into the room, a bored and controlled look on his face. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. 

“I told you, you didn’t need to come with me.” She set Gaara down on the floor and put her hands on her hips.

Yashamaru watched the pair with unguarded interest. Gaara climbed up on the chair next to Yashamaru’s bed and watched them as well.

“Why is my brother building you an office in the hospital?” Sasori asked her.

“I’d imagine because he wants me to use it.” Sakura snapped back.

“You’re being difficult. Why?” He really wanted to know why she didn’t like him, it was starting to bother him.

“I don’t like you.” She growled.

Sasori cocked his head to the side and smiled. Yashamaru was surprised, Sasori smirked, he scoffed, he made a number of displeased sort of arrogant gestures from time to time, but he rarely smiled like he was now.

“Did you know?” Sasori asked, conversationally. “There is a rare and beautiful flower found in the Land of Eddies who’s delicate petals are covered in poison to ward off bugs. Any bug who is foolish or unfortunate enough to land on the flower’s petals...dies, save one.”

Sasori paused for dramatic effect ensuring he had her attention. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, he had her attention. He smiled and resumed his instructive story.

“One, among millions, is immune to this beautiful rare beauty’s poison, do you know why?” He asked her. Sakura shook her head.

“He has a poison of his own, that he coats his body with before setting upon the flower to drink her nectar. His poison alone isn’t what sustains him though, it is his own delicate nature when touching her...petals, he is gentle, loving and caring.” Sasori’s voice was smooth, hypnotizing and almost melodic.

“...and when he has finished with the flower, when he has drunk all the nectar she had to give him...he releases his condensed poison into her...from the tip of his tail...and kills her.” Sasori’s amber eyes flashed.

“Do you know what arthropod I am referring to my dear?” Sasori’s eyes traced the outline of her lips as he waited for her answer.

“Scorpion.” Sakura shivered.

He grinned at her obedient reaction to his words and the effect he had over her.

“Yes dear. A scorpion.” The grin faded from his lips to be replaced with a sultry smirk as he watched the light shift in her eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

_“I won’t be able to move much longer. Before that I’ll do something pointless for you. A reward for defeating me.”_

Sakura woke to the sound of Sasori’s voice filling her head, a cold sweat covering her skin, she gasped for breath.

“A dream, it was just a dream.” She told herself over and over.

With shaking hands Sakura pushed back the covers of her bedding and stretched. Dawn was coming but it was still dark outside. Sakura stood, adjusting the collar of her sleeping clothes and slid the back door to her cottage open.

The sand was cool beneath the pads of her feet as she walked to the well in the corner of her garden. The rope pulley squeaked tunelessly as she pulled up the bucket of water slowly drawing the rope up hand over hand.

“It was just a dream.” She reminded herself.

Why was she dreaming of her battle with Sasori from her time, was it because she had seen him alive and well and...annoyingly himself yesterday? Himself...she had only known him as a puppet, the end result of utter despair, a life wasted. She didn’t know him as a man, as himself.

Sakura took the cup from the side of the well and scooped up some water from the bucket, drinking deeply.

She knew they hadn’t defeated Sasori, Granny Chiyo had said he could have avoided the killing blow herself. He had wanted to die...and by her hand. Sakura had thought of it many times before, many nights laying in bed after waking from the nightmare that had been her first battle, her first real combat accomplishment...and it was a lie.

“You chose to die.” She murmured. Closing her eyes.

What was the difference, why was he still here in Suna, why hadn’t he left at the age of fifteen? Was Lady Chiyo still here? Sakura’s heart beat quickly at the possibility but then...it had been Naruto who had changed the old woman, not Sakura...she wouldn’t be the same Chiyo Sakura knew.

“What am I doing here?” She ran her hands through her hair in frustration, her fingers caught on something and she pulled it from her hair.

“Gaara.” Her shoulders shook with her silent sobs.

It wasn’t the same comb her lover had made for her, no, but it was close. Sakura turned the comb over in her hand and thought of the man she had once loved, the man she still loved but only in a different way now.

If she was here, did he miss her? Did time flow in a continuum or was it spliced now, the future to be rewritten. If she found her way back to her time, would he remember her as she was now or as she had been, before…

They had fallen in love during a war. A war to defend their way of life, humanity as they knew it. They had turned to one another for comfort and had found love. She missed him. She missed her Gaara so much it hurt her heart to be around the younger one sometimes.

She had sent him away, when they had walked back to the cottage after releasing Yashamaru back to active duty. After Sasori’s odd story about scorpions and flowers. That’s why she had dreamt of him, that damn story of his and he knew...the jerk, he knew it had an effect on her...he just had no idea how great an effect or how personal his story had been to her…

Gaara hadn’t been pleased of course, but she pointed out he couldn’t stay with her every night, he had his own room and his own bed.

Sakura went back inside and dressed in her jounin blues and flak jacket, she put her hair up in a ponytail and stuck the comb in the side. She couldn’t go back to sleep, so she would train. 

Gaara had rarely slept even after the loss of Shukaku, so he would be up at all odd hours of the night. Sometimes she would work late or wake up early to check on a patient and see him walking around the camp, checking, always caring for his troops, for all of them.

Sometimes she would stop and talk to him, sometimes she would simply wave and he would nod in return...other times...they would train together.

She stepped out onto the empty training field and closed her eyes. Blind fighting had never been one of her strong points. She was a terrible sensor, but she enjoyed the darkness that came with it as she started her forms with her eyes closed out in the middle of the training grounds.

Sasori watched the woman walk out into the middle of the field and close her eyes. He watched as she began her forms with her eyes closed and wondered why, what was the purpose...he dropped down from his spot on the wall he went to when he couldn’t sleep sometimes and moved closer to the training grounds to watch her better.

Sakura moved with confidence across the field and back, her footing solid, her center of gravity low and steady as she bent, twisted, flipped and crouched down then up again. A smile curved her lips, this is what she loved about it most, she could clear her mind, rid it of her demons and just...move with the night...just be.

Even as her muscles tensed with exertion she felt her mind melt and the stress fade from her chest. Her breathing came fast and short as she spun and ducked, pushed and pulled at the air around her, blind eyes focused internally, on her goal...peace of mind.

Sasori approached her, chakra on the soles of his feet so he didn’t make any noise, he walked back and forth up and down the field beside her, watching her. Her moves were precise, uniformed and accurate. He was impressed.

He watched the smile curve her lips and wonder what it was she was thinking about as she moved foolishly back and forth across the field. He could have killed her easily several times since she had closed her eyes, didn’t she know that even within the village she wasn’t safe...particularly as a foreigner?

Sakura stopped, her arms falling to her sides, as she controlled her breathing. Sasori stood still and watched her chest move up and down, her cheeks flushed and the lashes of her eyes wet. She had been crying? He frowned.

“I love you. I’m so sorry.” Her voice broke and she opened her eyes, tilted her head back to the sky and looked up at the stars.

Sasori had barely jumped back and away in time, his heart was racing in his chest as he peered out at her from behind the wall next to the grounds. ‘Who did she love and why was she sorry?” He wondered. Sasori watched her until the light of the new day rose in the East. He watched her wipe the tears from her eyes and walk off the field, back toward the cottage. She had looked so sad and lonely and he wondered...was she as lonely as he was?

“I’m making Sakura Chief of Staff at the hospital.” Rasa told both of his brothers at the breakfast table that morning.

Yashamaru nodded and Sasori continued slicing his rice cake into straight lines.

“She’ll be in charge of the entire hospital.” Rasa said, watching Sasori, waiting for him to protest.

“I’ve given her the freedom to make any changes she deems necessary.”

Sasori ate his food in silence.

“Well, if there’s nothing else, no complaints…” Rasa rose from the table.

“She will need a lab, and her own greenhouse.” Sasori said before Rasa could leave the table.

“Do not tell her it was my idea, or she won’t accept them.” Sasori rose from the table and walked out of the room.

Yashamaru looked after their brother and turned back to Rasa, his face bland but knowing. “Sooo, he went the other way with it I see.”

“So it seems, but I doubt Sakura will be receptive. She seems to hate him, besides...Sasori really isn’t the wooing type.” Rasa almost laughed at the thought of his socially inept brother attempting to flirt with the pink haired hellion.

“Why does she hate him so much though...you said she told you he attacked her friends and one of them died? Only one? Wouldn’t Sasori have killed them all?” Yashamaru didn’t think her story made much sense, perhaps she was confused.

“There’s still so much mystery surrounding her, it’s hard to understand anything. I agree though, Sasori doesn’t leave survivors, he isn’t known for his mercy.” Rasa picked a fried rice cake up off the top of the serving dish and popped it into his mouth. “I’m going to go see her, see if she’s given anymore thought to my offer.”

Gaara sat across from Sakura in her kitchen poking at his fried rice cakes that Megumu had placed in front of him. Sakura wasn’t eating and she wasn’t drinking her tea. He wondered what was wrong with her and if he had done something wrong. ‘Was it because I was upset she wouldn’t let me sleep with her last night?’, he wondered.

‘It isn’t you boy, she has her own demons’, Shukaku rolled over in his head, paws in the air, back foot scratching his ear.

‘She has demons inside of her like...you?’, Gaara didn’t understand.

‘No, not like that, just...thoughts, emotions, don’t worry she’ll be fine. Our flower is as strong as she is beautiful’, Shukaku rolled back over and went to sleep.

Gaara nodded, he was trying to understand. “My father is here.” He told Sakura, feeling Rasa’s chakra at the garden gate.

“Hum?” Sakura lifted her head from her still full plate and turned it toward the door Megumu had just opened to allow the Kazekage to step into the cottage.

“Good morning Kazekage Sama, have you had breakfast?” Sakura rose politely to her feet reaching for a clean plate.

“I’ve eaten, thank you.” Rasa leaned back against the kitchen counter.

“Have you given any more thought about my offer, to stay here, more long term and run my hospital for me, along with watching over Gaara?” He didn’t see the point in small talk, she already knew why he was there he was sure of it. Yashamaru had told him about her reaction when she found out he had already started building her an office.

“In addition to your office, I was thinking of building you your own greenhouse and maybe...a lab. If you accepted the offer. You will need a place that’s your’s within the hospital and Sasori doesn’t share his greenhouse, so you’ll need one of your own.” He waited for her answer, his eyes traveling over her face and body. She looked tired. Did she not sleep well last night?

“Why do you really want me here Rasa?” She was tired and her dreams hadn’t helped. Sakura didn’t have it in her to be politically correct, she was emotionally drained. Her encounter with Sasori yesterday, his story about the scorpion and the flower had left her...just drained. She sighed.

“Megumu, please take Gaara back to the main house. I would like to speak to Sakura alone.” Rasa waved his hand dismissing both his son and the serving woman.

Megumu looked from Sakura to Rasa in an understanding sort of way. She knew something had changed in Sakura last night or early that morning. Sakura had come home after Megumu had already started breakfast and Gaara was already at the table watching her cook. She had a look of such sadness and defeat on her face...it worried Megumu.

“Come Gaara, we can finish breakfast in your kitchen, let’s leave Sakura and your dad to talk okay?” Megumu held her hand out to the little boy who didn’t look like he was going to comply.

“Go Gaara, I’ll be fine.” Her smile was weak, but Gaara could tell Sakura was trying to make an effort for him, so he would do as she asked...for her.

Rasa walked his son and the maid to the door, he didn’t want anyone overhearing them, and closed it behind them, but not before Megumu turned to him and bowed, “She is not herself, please be kind to her Kazekage Sama.”

Rasa shut the door and turned back to the kitchen. ‘She is not herself’, so the maid had noticed that there was something bothering Sakura as well.

Sakura was sitting in her chair at the table when he entered, the food untouched on her plate, her tea cold. She didn’t move or speak when he took his son’s chair and sat down across from her.

“What has happened?” He asked her gently, taking Megumu’s suggestion.

His marriage to Karura had been arranged, there had been no love between them...no respect. He had made light of Sasori not knowing how to woo a woman...well neither did he. He ran his hand through his spiky hair and sighed heavily.

“Sakura, what’s wrong?” He tried again. “Did someone do or say something to you, to upset you?”

“No.” She picked up her tea cup and noticed it was cold and set it back down again.

“I’ll get us some tea.” She stood and moved to the kettle on the stove Megumu had prepared and pulled another cup from the cupboard for Rasa. The cup slipped from her hand. Rasa jumped and caught the cup before it hit the floor and shattered. Sakura didn’t even move.

“I’ll get the tea, go sit on the couch in the living room, allow me.” He took her cup of cold tea from her hand and poured it into the basin by the sink to be emptied later. Sakura nodded.

After she had left the training grounds she had returned to the cottage to find Megumu up and making breakfast, Gaara was already at the table smiling at her when she had walked into the kitchen. 

His teal eyes...a constant reminder of what she had lost even if she had gained his child-like companionship; it didn’t replace her friend, her...what would they have become given the opportunity? He had asked her to come to Suna after the war...had he meant her to be with him as his wife or...a tear slipped down her face.

Two weeks she had been here, the reality of her situation was setting in on her, since Sasori’s return to the village it was clear, more clear than ever she was definitely not in her time and never would be again, even if this time line moved forward, the events of her time had already changed. Time moved on, it didn’t matter if she was here or not did it?

‘It matters to Gaara’, the little voice in the back of her head reminded her. “Gaara.” Another tear.

Rasa watched the woman from the doorway, he wasn’t good with these types of situations, he didn’t know the first thing about crying women, what to do, what to say. He walked into the room quickly and sat down on the couch beside her, thrusting the cup of hot tea into her hands.

Sakura looked up and tried to smile. The cup was warm in her hands and she sighed enjoying the heat on her cold palms. 

“Thank you.” Her voice was small, and she hated it, she sounded so weak, like she used to sound when she was a Genin.

“You asked why I wanted you here.” Rasa began, “I’ll be honest with you. We need you.”

That caught her attention and pulled her out of her depressed state. She had never met Gaara’s father and only knew the man Gaara knew, a cold heartless man who had tried to kill him too many times for him to count. This man, the man she had seen since she had been brought back to Suna, was...different.

Sakura looked up at Rasa. His eyes were still cold and dark, his mouth set in a near permanent scowl of displeasure and yet, she had seen him smile once, had seen his eyes soften twice…

“Suna needs me?” She asked.

“Suna, and Gaara...you’re the best medic in the world I think and no one can control Gaara like you do.” He told her.

“I don’t control him. I show him love and respect, something you never did. Maybe if you weren’t so cruel to him, if you didn’t treat him like a weapon, maybe he wouldn’t have turned out like he had and tried to kill everyone, been so insane.” All the feelings she had been holding inside flowed from her mouth uninhibited.

“This is your fault. It is your fault and that of your stupid councils for putting that beast in him without the knowledge of how to care for him, guide him and show him how to befriend Shukaku.” She continued.

“Befriend him? The one tailed beast?” Rasa had never heard of such a thing.

“Yes!” Sakura waved her arms in the air in frustration, setting her tea down. “If you showed Gaara even a bit of kindness, of compassion earlier on maybe he wouldn’t have…” She stopped herself. 

“Maybe I wouldn’t be here.” It was then she realized, she blamed Rasa for her being here. 

_“I want to go back, to those I love, where they need me most.”_

That’s what she had said, and that’s what had happened. That’s why she was here, she had forgotten.

Rasa didn’t understand what her words had meant but she seemed to be reasoning something out in her head, so he remained quiet and waited for her to come to her own conclusion.

It wasn’t really his fault, Rasa’s, she knew...it was just so depressing. Loosing Gaara as she had known him, had grown to know him and love him and then to be...but it wasn’t little Gaara’s fault either. ...and Sasori, she still wasn’t sure what to think of him, she could have sworn he was flirting with her, in his own demented sort of way and that made her both sick and...she sighed, something she had been doing a lot of lately.

“I’m sorry. This is hard for me.” She looked up at Rasa who had been waiting for her to speak.

Gaara used to do that when she got herself riled up, it was comforting to find the same quality in Rasa. Father and son, they were more alike than either of them realized. She wondered, if they had had a closer relationship...ah well, it didn’t matter she supposed, not for her timeline at least. She wasn’t in her timeline though…

Sakura mentally clapped her hands together, she would have to make the best of it. Naruto would be so disappointed in her if she gave up now. She smiled thinking of the blonde knucklehead. Was he here? In Konoha? One thing at a time, she told herself.

“I thought I was resigned to my fate but it seems I wasn’t quite there yet.” She tried to smile again, he was trying to be kind to her, she didn’t want to insult his efforts.

“I don’t know where you’re from, who you may have left behind but there is a place for you here, with us, if you want it.” 

“Kazekage Sama I…” Sakura began.

“Call me Rasa, just Rasa, if you like.”

_“Gaara, please Sakura, call me Gaara, no matter who we are with, I want for you to call me Gaara, always.”_

“You’re so similar to him.” She whispered.

“I’m similar to who?” Rasa asked gently, ducking his head to catch her eye.

Sakura smiled, Gaara used to do the same thing. “Someone I left behind, that I used to love very much.”

Rasa’s heart skipped in his chest.


	13. Chapter 13

“Have dinner with me tonight.” Rasa said without thinking.

“What?” Sakura turned in her seat on the couch a bit to look at him more clearly, bringing her knee in contact with his thigh.

“I mean, I would like you to have dinner with me tonight to talk about your role at the hospital, if you decide to accept my offer.” He amended.

“Without my son.” He added.

“Oh but I, well…” Sakura hesitated.

Rasa wasn’t used to having to persuade women into having dinner with him. He was the Kazekage. If he felt the need for female companionship, it was there. Sakura was different though. He knew she hadn’t wanted to have dinner with him before, had refused to wear the clothes he had sent over for her purposefully and he could tell she was currently in the process of rejecting him.

“Gaara can come, if you like.” He said.

“It isn’t that I don’t want to have dinner with you Kazekage…” Sakura began.

“Rasa, please call me Rasa.” He repeated himself from before gently.

Sakura looked down at her hands. “Rasa.” She said quietly.

“Maybe I misunderstood your intentions. This is to talk about the hospital?” She asked him.

“Yes but...I would also like to have dinner with you.” He waited for her response patiently.

“Why?” She cocked her head to the side. 

“Why? I want to get to know you better. You’re interesting.” He swallowed and looked down to the left.

Sakura’s eyes widened slightly. Gaara used to do that when he was nervous. Was Rasa nervous?

“Gaara can come too?” She asked, not sure if she wanted to have dinner alone with Rasa just yet, if at all.

“Only if you like.” He had wanted to have dinner with her alone.

“I don’t know.” She bit her bottom lip.

“You can wear whatever you like.” He tried to make a joke but she didn’t laugh.

“I liked the outfit Megumu made for me from the kimono you sent, but it is a bit fancy for everyday use. My jounin blues are getting a bit threadbare, do you have shinobi clothing stores or are they issued?” She asked him, changing the subject.

“We issue them to our shinobi and they are different from the ones you wear as I’m sure you’ve seen. I can tell Megumu to make you some more like the one she made you before.” Rasa offered.

“Oh, that’s okay. I’ll just ask her to show me how to make them and I can try to do it myself.” Sakura frowned, she knew how to sew flesh, not fabric.

“It’s her job.” Rasa said, sounding very much like his son.

“So that’s where Gaara gets it from.” Sakura scowled at Rasa.

“I beg your pardon?” Rasa asked, confused. She had gone from being shy to scowling so quickly...

“Ordering people around, thinking they are less than you.” Sakura waved her hand through the air.

“I’m the Kazekage though.” He was bewildered.

Sakura laughed. “I suppose you are.”

“Is that a yes then?” Rasa asked her pleased with how the conversation had turned back to laughter.

“Yes.” Sakura smiled. “You said I could wear anything I wanted? I don’t have to dress up?”

“Yes, anything you want.” Rasa didn’t smile at her but his eyes softened, which made her happy.

“Thank you Rasa.” Sakura patted him on the arm.

“It is my pleasure...Sakura.” He looked down to where her fingers still touched his arm as though she had forgotten to draw them back and away after she had patted him.

“Oh, sorry.” She withdrew her hand with a slight blush to her cheeks.

“Nothing to be sorry for.” Rasa said quickly. “I’ll see you tonight then, for dinner. Come early, for drinks again.” 

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him, he commanded, like Gaara used to when they had first started dating.

“Saying please at the end of your sentences makes the command sound more like a request.” Sakura smiled. She had said the same thing to Gaara.

“Please.” Rasa added.

Sakura smiled and nodded, Gaara had said the same thing. Sakura looked at Rasa, maybe this was a bad idea.

“Thank you Sakura.” Rasa touched her hand lightly.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek briefly nodding again.

Rasa rose from the couch, inclined his head and walked out the front door of her cottage. Sakura could see Gaara looking in at her when his father had slid the door aside to leave. His eyes were worried. As soon as the door shut behind Rasa, it was opened again by Gaara who ran into the cottage and jumped up onto Sakura’s lap taking a lock of her hair in his hands and rubbing it over his top lip as he looked at her with wide teal eyes.

“What did my father want to talk to you about, Sakura?” Gaara asked her.

Megumu came into the room shutting the door behind her and took Sakura and Rasa’s teacups to the kitchen to be washed.

“He wanted me to have dinner with him tonight.” She told him.

“Again?” Megumu stuck her head back into the sitting room, eyes flashing with interest and a smile on her face.

“Yeah, he said I could wear whatever I wanted.” Sakura frowned. “I don’t really have anything other than the kimono you adjusted for me and my worn out jounin clothes.”

“Don’t worry about that Sakura Sama, I’ll get you something you’ll like from the clothing district today.” Megumu withdrew her head back into the kitchen, thinking furiously.

“I liked what you made me before, could you show me how to make clothes like that?” Sakura called out to the woman in the kitchen, picking Gaara up and walking into the kitchen to talk to her friend.

“I could show you of course, let’s go to the market and pick something out together then and I can show you how to make it. It seems easier to buy a full size kimono and then adjust it rather than making one from scratch.” Megumu smiled pleased Sakura had liked her idea enough to want similar outfits.

“Okay, let me just brush my hair and put it up real quick.” Sakura walked to the bedroom with Gaara and set him on her bed while she picked her brush up in the bathroom, pulling her hair back and into a ponytail. She picked Gaara’s comb up that he had made for her and slid it into her hair.

Sakura held Gaara’s hand as they walked through the market to the clothing district. Megumu pointed out little parks, fruit stands and tea shops as they went. Sakura had been to the market in Suna before but in her time and only briefly.

Whispers followed them wherever they went. People stopped, stared and only resumed walking when Sakura would stop with her hand on her hip and ask them if they needed anything.

“Sorry.” Gaara looked down at his feet after the tenth person had stopped to stare at Sakura with a dirty look on his face.

“It’s not your fault Gaara, remember what I told you, it was never your fault.” Sakura stopped and kissed the little boy on the top of his head in the middle of the clothing district.

Gasps of shock and disgust were heard around them, but Sakura ignored them all. She didn’t care and she wanted Gaara to know she didn’t care, that she only cared about him.

“Thank you Sakura.” Gaara squeezed her hand appreciatively.

“Here.” Megumu smiled at the woman and child, then pointed to a little shop with kimonos hanging in the window.

Sakura and Gaara followed Megumu into the store. It wasn’t long before Sakura found two kimono’s she liked enough to make into the two piece outfits Megumu had made the other one out of. They were plain with solid trim, just how she liked them. Sakura would have chosen a plain obi as well but Megumu insisted that since she had chosen such a modest design, that the obi had to be fancy.

Sakura pulled her money from her pouch to pay for the items when a hand came over her shoulder and stopped her. Sakura turned in surprise to see Yashamaru behind her.

“You don’t pay for anything while you’re here. Allow me.” Yashamaru dropped some bills onto the counter and gathered Sakura’s bags for her, motioning her and Gaara out the door in front of him. Megumu followed at a polite distance.

“I can pay for my own things Yashamaru San, but thank you, that was very kind of you.” Sakura smiled at him. Normally she would have protested more but she needed clothes and had limited resources. Perhaps she would take Rasa up on his offer for a job at the hospital. 

She would ask for missions but what if her missions brought her into direct contact with Konoha shinobi or in direct conflict with them...her thoughts wandered to the Chunin exams when Suna had broken their alliance with Konoha and attacked the Leaf with Orochimaru...

“It is the least I can do for you saving my life, if not from my brother’s poison, from my wounds. Besides, Rasa told us to give you anything you needed.” Yashamaru smiled easily at Sakura as they walked through the market.

“Did you have somewhere else to go? I would be happy to escort you.” He offered.

“Oh well um.” Sakura turned to look back at Megumu. “Did you need to go anywhere else Megumu?”

Megumu’s mouth dropped open and she shook her head furiously.

“What’s wrong?” Sakura asked, completely oblivious to Yashamaru’s grin.

Gaara laughed beside her, tugging on her hand.

“Did I say something inappropriate?” Sakura looked at Gaara and Yashamaru, confused.

“No, but by asking Megumu if she had anywhere else to go after I offered to escort you was like saying I would escort Megumu.” Yashamaru laughed loudly.

“She’s with me though, we were shopping together before you came along.” Sakura didn’t understand.

“She’s a servant.” Gaara smiled up at Sakura.

“So?” Sakura was so confused.

“I’m the Kazekage’s brother Sakura, I do not escort servants on their errands.” Yashamaru laughed again.

“She’s my friend though and we were shopping together, a real gentleman would extend the offer not only to me but to my friend as well.” Sakura put her hands on her hips and glared at Yashamaru who paused and looked down at her curiously.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you before.” He smiled at her and turned to Megumu. “Is there anywhere else you would like to go Megumu?”

Megumu’s face turned bright red and she shook her head again without saying a word.

“Then I will see you two ladies home.” Yashamaru dropped his hand to Sakura’s lower back and guided her through the market home.

Half way home Gaara tugged on Sakura’s sleeve. “Can we go to the park?”

“Oh well uh.” Sakura looked at Megumu, they had planned on making her clothes together.

“Please go ahead Sakura Sama. I will make the adjustments to one of your kimonos and save the other one to show you how to do it yourself when you get back.” Megumu took the bags from Yashamaru and started walking to the cottage before Sakura could protest.

“I heard you didn’t like the clothes Rasa sent over to the cottage for you, is that the motivation behind your trip to the clothing district today?” Yashamaru asked conversationally as they sat on the bench together.

Sakura waved at Gaara who was waving at her to make sure she was watching as he slid down the tallest slide. Sakura clapped and smiled at the red head then turned back to Yashamaru.

“Rasa’s gift was nice, too nice but not something I enjoy wearing. Megumu made it into something much more practical but the fabric is too rich for my everyday tastes. I’m afraid I lost some of my things when I fell from the sky…” She paused, where had her things gone?

They had been running across the Land of Stone, she had all of her gear with her, all of her storage scrolls with her provisions, clothes and medical supplies with her but when she had come here...she didn’t have them with her.

“I just remembered, I had things with me, I should have had them on me when you found me in the desert. Did you find any storage scrolls or a pack by me?” She asked Yashamaru curiously.

Yashamaru shook his head. “No, due to the unusual circumstances that we found you under we looked but didn’t find anything. There has been a sand storm through that area since you’ve been here, if there was something there, we would be hard pressed to find it again. I’m sorry, was it important?” He asked her sympathetically.

“Well, it had my medical supplies, provisions and some clothes in it. Nothing irreplaceable but still, it would have been nice to have my own things, my own clothes.” She thought of her red top and pants.

“Megumu will have your new clothes ready for you soon I’m sure. She is a very good maid. Rasa chose her for you because we thought she would be the most compliant, closer to your age and more accepting of Gaara once she saw how you interacted with him. He was right.” Yashamaru was a kind sort, open and he liked to smile a lot, Sakura enjoyed his company.

“You’re different from Rasa and Sasori, you’re nicer and smile more” Sakura said what she had been thinking.

“I’m so sorry, that sounded horrible didn’t it.” Her cheeks tinted pink and she covered her mouth.

Yashamaru laughed freely and threw his arm over the back of the park bench relaxed, noting how Sakura’s hair had started to come undone from her elastic and brushed against his arm.

“Life’s too short in our line of work to be so serious all the time.” He said easily.

“Rasa is a bit different, he is the Kazekage and has a heavy burden. He can’t do any one thing for himself, everything he does is for the village.” Yashamaru watched Gaara climb up the slide again and nodded toward him.

“I know you think it was cruel, for him to do what he did to the boy, and my sister but…” Yashamaru paused. “He really thought he was doing what would protect the village the best. Gaara is his son, he loves him, and even though my sister’s marriage to Rasa was arranged, he did have a responsibility to her and would not have thrown her life away.”

Sakura nodded slowly, waving at Gaara as he ran to the swings. That made sense but she still, it was hard for her, from her perspective, knowing how it had tortured and tormented Gaara on a personal level, to sympathize with Rasa and his decision to put the ichibi into his unborn son.

She was not unfamiliar with Rasa’s responsibilities. She had been Tsunade’s apprentice and Gaara's confidant. She understood the pressures and the stresses of the job on a more personal level than perhaps Yashamaru did.

It still didn’t excuse what Rasa had done to Gaara, how he had repeatedly tried to kill his own son, to sweep his mistake under the rug and to move on like...like it didn’t matter.

‘Is that why you refuse to look at him as a man’, she asked herself. Did it make it easier to deny the attraction if she continued to think of him as the monster, she wasn’t sure. That was the feeling she realized. She felt like she was betraying her Gaara with every smile she gave Rasa, with every moment she spent in his company and enjoyed it, she was betraying the man she loved.

“He has a continued responsibility to his son and not as a weapon for the village. However, I understand the responsibilities of the Kazekage and would think, if he truly loved Gaara as you say he does, he would be looking desperately for a solution to both protect his son and his village through love.” Sakura watched Gaara swing on the swings, a smile on his little face as he threw his head back and pumped his legs.

“All he is doing is teaching Gaara to hate, to protect himself and only himself. He is teaching him to hate the village, not love it and teaching the village to hate Gaara.” She looked at Yashamaru pointedly. “I know about the assassination attempts Yashamaru.”

“How, how do you know such things?” He asked her, he didn’t understand how she could possibly know what she did. “Did you dream of them? Are you some kind of seer or an oracle?”

“No, I’m not a seer or an oracle. I just dream of things, like...I’ve lived them before. It’s hard to explain. It’s like another life and one I miss, very much.” Sakura looked down at her hands in her lap.

Yashamaru braced his weight with his arm that held the back of the bench they were sitting on and leaned closer to Sakura. Reaching out with his free hand he tipped her head up with a finger under her chin so she had to meet his eyes. “Who are you?” His voice was gentle, his eyes soft as they looked into hers.

Sakura wet her lips with her tongue and made to pull away but Yashamaru tucked another finger under her chin, “Where did you come from, did the gods send you?” He asked her leaning closer.

“Get away from her!” Gaara growled and a blast of sand rose up, knocking Yashamaru off the bench and onto the ground.

“Gaara stop, please.” Sakura stood up as Gaara stalked toward Yashamaru.

“I don’t want him to touch you.” Gaara growled at his Uncle who had gotten up from the ground and was dusting his clothes off.

“Gaara, I wasn’t going to hurt her.” Yashamaru tried to smile. Gaara had never attacked him before.

“Don’t touch her.” The boy stomped over to his Uncle and glared up at him. 

“I want to go back to the cottage.” Gaara grabbed Sakura’s hand and pulled on her hard, back toward the cottage.

“Hey, it’s okay Gaara, Yashamaru wasn’t hurting me. I was fine. I can take care of myself, I’m not defenseless you know.” Sakura knelt down in front of the little redhead and kissed him on the forehead.

“I can protect you, you don’t need to fight anymore.” Gaara insisted.

Sakura swallowed hard, memories of her old life flashing before her eyes. “Gaara.” She choked unable to continue her sentence.

“I can, you know I can. You told me I was going to grow up to be one of the strongest shinobi in the world that I would grow up to protect everyone and that one day everyone would love and respect me.” He looked at her with clear teal eyes of trust.

“You will Gaara. You will.” Sakura bit her bottom lip that had started to quiver.

“I can start now, being the man you told me I would be and protect you...from him!” He pointed at his Uncle Yashamaru who was watching the two before him with a great deal of interest.

“You told him he would grow up to protect everyone and that they would love him?” He asked incredulously.

Sakura looked back at Yashamaru, “Of course, because he will. I’ve seen it.”

“In a dream?” he asked.

“In another life.” She picked Gaara up, bowed slightly, thanking Yashamaru and left the park...Gaara glaring at his Uncle over Sakura’s shoulder until they walked around the corner and were out of sight.

“Did you hear her brother?” Yashamaru asked Rasa who stepped out of the shadows of the building by the bench.

“I did.” Rasa said, turned and walked away.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Konoha...

“No one’s heard of her.” Rasa set down the report his Anbu had sent him from the merchant’s caravan.

“Have they made it to Konoha or are they still making stops along the way?” Yashamaru asked.

“They’ve just arrived at Konoha. They stopped, as I instructed them to, at every village large and small on their way to Konoha. Her physical description and how we found her has gained tremendous popularity as we had expected but no one knows who she is, no one has even heard of her.” Rasa handed the report to Yashamaru who began to read it as the door opened and a maid brought in a tea tray for them.

“People want to meet her? Kemiru says several people have said they would like to travel to Suna to see the “Pink haired, green eyed woman from the sky’.” Yashamaru looked up at his brother. This is what he had been worried about. 

If Sakura was innocent and Yashamaru thought she was now, more than before, this would cause trouble for her...and them, because Gaara wouldn’t like strangers giving her such attention.

“Rasa.” Yashamaru began.

“I know, it was foolish of me and it seems to have been for nothing. I’m still hopeful someone in Konoha will know something about her. It would make it worth it just to find out a little more of where she came from. Her clothes are so similar to Konoha jounin and her healing...I’ve been told is similar to that of Lady Tsunade’s.” Rasa picked up his tea cup and shook his head.

“I’m more worried someone will find her here and claim we kidnapped her or worse.” Yashamaru set his cup down and picked up a cracker.

“She’s valuable, her combat skills alone make her so, but her knowledge with poisons and antidotes...someone knows her and will be looking for her.” Sasori came into the room and sat down beside Rasa.

“...and if someone does claim her?” Yashamaru asked the others.

“It depends on who it is.” Sasori picked a cracker up, turned it over in his hand then set it back down with a snort.

“It does?” Yashamaru asked, not understanding.

“I said she was valuable didn’t I?” Sasori looked at Yashamaru condescending.

“We can’t just keep her if she has a home, friends and family to go back to, possibly someone to go back to.” Yashamaru frowned at Sasori.

“Of course we can.” Sasori scoffed. “She has amnesia doesn’t she? Besides, if someone claims her as part of their village they will have to prove it won’t they? We aren’t going to hand her over just because they claim she belongs to them.”

“She told me there was someone that she loved very much. If someone knows her and they are looking for her...it wouldn’t be right to keep her.” Rasa wasn’t pleased with this line of thought anymore than the others were, but he had made too many mistakes in his life already, he didn’t want to make anymore if he could help it.

“Don’t be a fool Rasa.” Sasori had always thought his brother soft and their brother by marriage an idiot.

“I said she is too valuable to let go and I meant it. She found an antidote to my poison.” Sasori had been impressed but also very pissed off.

“I Haven't seen her healing skills yet but judging by her complete chakra control needed to make craters the size of sand worms in our training ground fields I would say she is more than proficient. You can not let her leave, we need her. It’s clear wherever she came from doesn’t need her, why else would they let someone as valuable as she is wander around the desert by herself?” Sasori was disgusted with his brothers.

“She wasn’t wandering around the desert by herself, she fell out of the sky and landed at our feet.” Yashamaru glared at the Puppet Master.

“So you say, but people don’t just fall out of the sky imbecile.” Sasori rolled his eyes.

“She did though, Sasori. She fell out of the sky, right into our arms.” Rasa said quietly contemplating the report from his Anbu.

“It seems I’m not the only one impressed with more than her shinobi skills.” Sasori eyed his brother. “You like her.”

Rasa looked at his brother beside him. “What’s not to like, she’s beautiful, Gaara has taken to her and is more behaved than I have ever hoped he could be. She’s intelligent and talented, of course I like her, so do you. I can tell. My Anbu told me you followed her to the training grounds.” Rasa watched his brother’s mouth twitch. 

“You can’t stalk her Sasori, that’s not going to win her over, a woman like that, she’ll be more likely to punch you in the throat than be flattered by that kind of attention.” Rasa shook his head at his brother.

“Not to mention it’s really creepy.” Yashamaru said under his breath.

“What was that?” Sasori turned a sharp eye onto Yashamaru.

“I said you’re a creep stalking her like that. You’re just lucky she isn’t a sensor nin or that Gaara wasn’t there with her.” Yashamaru stood up for himself.

“Yes, he might have sand blasted me off my ass in the park for the whole village to see eh?” Sasori smirked.

Yashamaru’s face reddened. “I got close enough to almost kiss her and if Gaara hadn’t knocked me off that bench I bet she would have let me kiss her too!” Yashamaru looked at Sasori with triumph in his eyes.

“Yashamaru, this isn’t a game. Think of Sakura.” Rasa stood up with his empty tea cup and left the room leaving his brothers alone to squabble as they liked.

Sasori watched Rasa walk out of the room in silence. “He really likes her doesn’t he?”

Yashamaru was surprised to hear the curiosity and sympathy in the normally emotionally stunted Puppet Master’s voice.

“Don’t we all?” He asked.

“I suppose we do.” Sasori got up then, picking the cracker up he had set back down earlier and left the room leaving Yashamaru alone.

“Hokage Sama, we have some information we think you might be interested in.” The masked Konoha Anbu knelt down before the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.

“Hum? Yes? What is it?” The Lord Third turned from his calligraphy against the back wall of his studio in the Hokage tower to listen to the Anbu.

“A caravan of merchants has arrived today from Suna; they claim that the Kazekage found a woman with pink hair and green eyes that fell from the sky into their line of sight in the desert. Her medical prowess is on par with that of your student’s Lady Tsunade.” The Anbu told the Hokage.

“They don’t know who she is and they say she has amnesia Lord Third. The little girl, the Haruno's little girl Sakura that disappeared two weeks ago, had pink hair and green eyes didn’t she? Two weeks ago, is when the Kazekage and his caravan were said to have found the woman in the desert.” The Anbu bowed, ending his report.

“The Haruno’s little girl was...a little girl, you said that these merchants claim it is a woman?” Lord Third inquired.

“Yes Hokage Sama, that’s why I wasn’t sure if I should bring it to your attention, but...it is a very strange coincidence, don’t you think?” The Anbu asked.

“Yes Kakashi, it is very strange. Thank you, see if you can find anything else out about this woman would you?.” Hiruzen rubbed his chin deep in thought. 

“Yes Hokage Sama.” Kakashi bowed and disappeared in a small puff of smoke.

They were allied with Suna, depending on what else Kakashi found out, perhaps he could send a team to verify the information if only to rule out the possibility of it being the Haruno girl, for her parent’s sake.

Kakashi moved across the rooftops of Konoha toward the market where he had last seen the caravan from Suna selling their wares. Dropping down behind the bakery he leaned back against the alley wall to watch the coming and goings of the Suna merchants. Their items were expensive ones, much more expensive than the usual Suna merchandise and he wondered why.

One man, a tall man with sandy colored hair stood just a little too straight and watched people just a bit more carefully than a merchant who was wary of thieves. ‘Anbu’, the classification popped into Kakashi’s head...interesting. Kakashi watched the stand for the rest of the day and then the next, reporting to the Lord Third on the second evening.

“Lord Third, there is a Suna Anbu disguised as one of the merchants with the caravan from Suna. I watched them for the rest of the afternoon yesterday and all of today, I am positive he is not a merchant.” Kakashi told the Hokage.

“I see.” The Hokage turned around and looked out the windows of the Hokage tower, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Take your team, Team Ro, and travel to Suna. I want more information on this woman the Kazekage found in the desert. Do not alert the Haruno family. I do not want to give them false hope. We need to see this woman for ourselves. I will trust your discretion. Your Team will go under the pretenses of setting up the Chunin exams for the Fall that will be held in Suna this year. I will send Genma with you to make it official.” 

“...and if it is the Haruno girl?” Kakashi asked.

“Then send word, but the merchants said that it was a woman did they not? I don’t see how they could get such a fact wrong, but we will check to make sure.” The Hokage dismissed Kakashi who bowed and leapt out the window to gather his team for the morning. They would leave at dawn.

The clothes Megumu had put together for Sakura were amazing. Sakura had been thrilled and had hugged the blushing woman closely.

“Thank you Megumu, I love it. It’s just what I imagined it would look like.” Sakura patted down the front of the shirt with admiration.

Megumu had cut the top longer this time with slits up both sides so Sakura could have a pouch on her left as well as her right this time and instead of pants had made the bottom of the kimono into a short skirt with smaller shorts underneath with more pockets for her poisons and antidotes.

“I made these for you.” Gaara had come to see Sakura get dressed before she left for dinner with his father. 

He had decided on his own not to join them after Megumu had hinted that perhaps Sakura would want to be alone with his father for what the maid had called, ‘Grown up stuff’. Gaara didn’t know what that meant but he did want Sakura to be happy and if eating dinner with his father alone made her happy, he didn’t mind.

Sakura had been disappointed when she had found out he wouldn’t be joining them which pleased him greatly. He was important to her, and he liked that feeling, it was a feeling he only felt when he was around her.

Gaara had made Sakura some senbon out of his sand and had hardened the little spikes at the end with heat so they sparkled like the cut glass that they were. He handed them up to her as she sat on the end of her bed, Megumu dressing her hair.

“These are beautiful Gaara, thank you.” Sakura kissed the little boy on the corner of his mouth and his face burned red. 

She had never kissed him on the mouth before. He had seen many mothers kiss their children like that in the parks and in the market...he had wanted her to kiss him like that too but she hadn’t...before now.

“So pretty Gaara Sama.” Megumu complimented the boy who smiled shyly at her praise. 

“They will look very nice with Sakura Sama’s dark blue kimono top and skirt.” Megumu pinned Sakura’s hair back and twisted it up to the side with the senbon.

“I’m glad I kept the white trim, it looks sharp with those glass ornaments in your hair. I’m so jealous of your natural hair color Sakura Sama, women all over Suna are talking about it and how they wish they had hair like yours.” Megumu hummed appreciatively as she tucked a stray lock behind Sakura’s ear and handed her the mirror.

Sakura held the mirror up to look at her hair. “I got made fun of a lot when I was a child for the color of my hair and my wide forehead.” Sakura muttered.

“Do you know their names?” Gaara asked her with an all too innocent look on his face.

Sakura burst out into loud laughter at the boy’s protective nature but stopped remembering what he had told her as an adult. He was a jealous sort and he would lash out if he thought someone deserved it by his standards, not anyone else’s.

“No Gaara. It doesn’t matter we were just kids. Kids say and do really mean things that they don’t mean when they get older, mostly.” She put the mirror down and smiled at him.

Gaara nodded and didn’t press the subject, he was learning that Sakura didn’t enjoy fighting or violence as much as he did, or the rest of his family or village for that matter. He had noticed that she found many of their ways cruel or ‘bloody’ as she called it, which puzzled him. She was so strong and dangerous, it had confused him how someone so strong could be so opposed to violence.

When he had asked her about it she had told him, “Just because you are strong doesn’t mean you need to be bloody.” He wasn’t sure if he agreed with that but he did like how she had told him that it was the duty of the strong to protect the weak. She wasn’t weak, but he had made her a promise that he would always protect her. She had cried when he had told her that and he didn’t understand that either but he didn’t mind. He had kissed her cheeks and had wiped away her tears for her and she had smiled at him for it.

That’s all that mattered to Gaara...that she kept smiling at him.

“Will it just be you and Rasa tonight Sakura Sama or will his other two brothers be there as well?” Megumu asked her friend.

“I was under the impression that it would just be Rasa, he had wanted to have dinner without Gaara originally but then said he could come if I wanted him to.” Sakura bit her nail on her right hand thinking about that.

‘Was this a date?’, Rasa had indicated he had wanted it to be one.

“So it’s a date?” Megumu almost squealed and Sakura cringed. It reminded her of Ino.

“I don’t know really. I think it might be but if his brothers are there then I imagine it wouldn’t be.” Sakura laughed a little nervously.

“Do you want it to be a date, Sakura Sama?” Megumu hadn’t stopped to think that Sakura might not want to date the Kazekage when she had hinted to Gaara it might be best for him to stay and eat dinner with her instead of joining Sakura and his father.

“I don’t know. Rasa is very handsome but…” Sakura twisted her fingers in her lap. 

“There was someone before, I left that was, we were dating and I loved him. I still love him. Rasa kinda reminds me of him actually.” Sakura laughed at her situation.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to move on yet.” She said honestly. ‘What if I go back, how can I face Gaara if I…’

“I was in love once.” Megumu said very quietly, so quietly Sakura thought she might not have heard her correctly.

The maid sat down on the end of the bed beside Sakura. “He was a shinobi and so handsome. We were childhood sweethearts.” Megumu confessed.

“He was going to ask my father for me but he died on a mission to Kumo. They only found parts of his body. Enough to bury him with though.” She sighed and patted Sakura’s hand between them on the bed.

“Love is hard when it’s real, but he isn’t here and you said you didn’t know if you could ever go back to wherever you are from, you can’t even remember...maybe, you could find love again Sakura. Here in Suna.” Megumu hugged her friend and patted her hair to perfection, smiling.

Sakura had found love in Suna before, or at least Gaara had been from Suna. In Sakura’s mind...Gaara was Suna.

“My father is here.” Gaara said, patting Sakura’s hair like Megumu had and hugged her waiting in front of her face for her to kiss him again.

Sakura laughed and kissed the corner of his mouth again, setting him down on the floor and smoothing out her clothes.

“If he’s coming to get me, does that mean it’s a date?” She looked frantically at her friend who shrugged. “Thanks. You’re a big help.” 

Megumu laughed and went to open the door for the Kazekage when she heard the knock.

“Sakura?” Gaara pulled on her sleeve.

“Yes Gaara?” Sakura smiled down at the little boy and hadn’t noticed Rasa in the doorway to the bedroom with megumu.

“If you fall in love with my father, will you forget about me like you are trying to forget about that other man you love?” Gaara asked, his teal eyes wide and solemn.

“What?” She whispered, choking slightly. 

“I’m not trying to forget him, I could never forget him. I won’t ever meet anyone like him ever again. I'm sure of it Gaara, he loved me for who I was...am. He respected how hard I had worked to get to where I was, because he had his own demons to conquer.” She said holding his little hands in hers.

“Like me?” He asked hopefully.

“Just like you.” Sakura hugged the little boy to her chest. “There’s no one like you.”

Sakura drew back and smiled at the little boy only to notice he was looking past her over her shoulder. She slowly turned her head around to see Rasa looking at her with an expression between annoyance and sympathy.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting, Rasa.” Sakura stood and patted Gaara’s hand. “I’ll see you later Gaara. Behave for Megumu okay?”

Gaara nodded and turned his gaze back to his father. “Behave for Sakura okay?”

A stifled wheeze escaped Rasa who nodded seriously to his son. “I’ll do my best.”

Sakura covered her mouth with her hand and stifled her own giggle.

Rasa opened the gate to the garden for Sakura and led her around the corner to the main house. “I apologize Sakura. I had wanted it to be just you and I for dinner but my brothers found out we were having dinner together tonight and invited themselves.”

Sakura laughed. “I don’t mind Rasa.”

Rasa looked down at the pink haired woman beside him as he slid open the door to the main house for her. “You look very lovely tonight Sakura. I never knew Megumu was such a skilled seamstress.”

Sakura blushed. “She did a wonderful job.” 

Rasa had heard her conversation with his son. He wasn’t a fool. He might not have been in love before but he had known several people who were or had been. It wasn’t something you just got over or could set aside. He had seen it in her eyes before and his brother Yashamaru was a fool if he thought he could sway her with a few stolen kisses on a park bench. That’s not what the woman needed right now.

He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to the sitting room they had been in before, where his brother’s Sasori and Yashamaru were waiting with baited breath no doubt. The poor woman, he thought. She didn’t need them chasing after her like a sport, she needed a friend, like Megumu.

Friendship was another thing Rasa wasn’t very familiar with. He had been born to be Kazekage and it was a very prestigious position...but also a very lonely one. He wasn’t sure he knew how to be her friend, but he wanted to try. Rasa saw how happy his son was, saw him laugh with the woman and he found the more he watched his son with her, the more he wanted that too. That closeness, the laughter, her smiles. He wanted her to smile more for him.


	15. Chapter 15

“Rasa went to get the woman for dinner himself?” Sasori was amused.

“Yes.” Yashamaru poured himself a drink and sat down on the couch opposite Sasori.

“I wonder why she didn’t accept Rasa’s offer at the hospital, clearly she’s more than qualified.” Sasori hummed to himself as he turned his own glass over in his hand watching the amber liquid tilt left then right.

“You’re just saying that because she was clever enough to make an antidote to your poison.” Snorted Yashamaru.

“Exactly. If she was talented enough to do that and save your worthless life at the same time then yes, she is more than qualified. She is a real doctor it seems and not some mediocre healer, like you.” Sasori said unperturbed at Yashamaru’s cheap poke at his inability to create an antidote to his own poison. It only made the woman more impressive in Sasori’s mind.

“Maybe she doesn’t want the position because she isn’t going to stay in Suna.” Yashamaru had thought it a possibility before and although he didn’t know Sakura very well, he thought it fit her personality not to start something she couldn’t finish.

“She will stay and she will accept the position at the hospital. What else is there for her, she won’t want to be Gaara’s babysitter forever, she’ll get bored.” Sasori tipped his glass back and stood to refill it.

“You are too presumptuous, you speak as though you know her.” Yashamaru shook his head at the redhead.

“I know what I see. She will get bored, she is the sort that needs more to occupy that ever active brain of hers, she needs a challenge.” Sasori said confidently.

“I don’t understand how you can meet a person once and decide you know everything about them.” Yashamaru looked out the window, he could feel Sakura’s chakra moving slowly their way.

“A drawback to your inferior genetics I’m afraid.” Sasori smirked into his tumbler.

“What the hell did you just say?” Yashamaru stood up to confront the Puppet Master who merely looked at him with a bored sort of annoyed expression.

“Perhaps Gaara should have told his Uncle’s to behave and not his father.” Sakura’s voice broke the tension in the room. “Are we interrupting something?”

Rasa looked from Sasori to Yashamaru with a knowing look and rolled his eyes behind Sakura’s head.

“Nothing worth discussing. Yashamaru is just embarrassed that a four year old bested him at the park this afternoon my dear.” Sasori hummed into his drink.

“Gaara is just very protective of me.” Sakura sat down on the other end of the couch by Yashamaru, away from Sasori.

“Yes, so it seems.” Sasori eyed her over the rim of his tumbler, interest clear in his eyes as they passed over her clothing. “You have unusual tastes in style my dear, a bit of old and new I see, it suits you.”

“Megumu is a good hand with a needle and thread, I myself am terribly clumsy if it is fabric and not flesh.” Sakura laughed at herself.

“Yes a healer. My brother offered you a prestigious position in our village. Why haven’t you accepted it?” He asked her, getting straight to the point.

“Sasori.” Rasa warned his brother.

“Actually, I have been thinking about it and I accept his offer.” Sakura turned to smile shyly at Rasa who let the barest of smiles touch his lips.

“That’s wonderful.” Yashamaru was pleased to hear she wanted to stay, because surely her acceptance of the position meant she would be staying…

“I don’t need a greenhouse though I will accept a lab. You offer too much.” She said to Rasa.

“You will need to grow certain plants for your medicines though won’t you?” Rasa asked.

“I have a garden at the cottage that Gaara can help me with.” She smiled as he handed her a drink, she noticed it was the same as the last time she had shared drinks with him.

“You can’t grow everything you will need in that little garden.” Sasori tapped his finger thoughtfully against his leg. “You may use my greenhouse if you like. It already has all of the plants you require to make any medicines you will need for the hospital, but you are the only one allowed in my greenhouse, my nephew is not.”

Yashamaru looked at Sasori suspiciously. “You never let anyone in your greenhouse except for Rasa, why her?”

“She isn’t an idiot and I won’t have to worry about her burning it down, blowing it up or killing all of my plants...unlike you.” Sasori said smoothly, tipping his glass back, finishing his drink.

Rasa thought it very uncharacteristic of Sasori to allow the woman to share his greenhouse with him, but said nothing. Building a new greenhouse, even if it would be the small one he had planned to build, was expensive and they were still recovering their economy from the war. It was an expense he would rather not have if he could help it.

“Excellent, I will meet you at your cottage in the morning and introduce you to the current hospital staff so there isn’t any confusion as to your role going forward.” Rasa was pleased she had accepted his offer, this was a bright moment for Suna. 

“Perhaps when Baki returns with my niece and other nephew young Gaara can start his shinobi training with him.” Sasori told Rasa.

“He was doing very well with you, before I interrupted you the other day dear.” Sasori inclined his head to Sakura who narrowed her eyes at him.

‘Dear?’, she rolled her eyes in her head at the man. “He was.” She smiled thinking of how much fun she had with the boy that day before the puppet came to ruin it. ‘Not a puppet’, she reminded herself.

“I was surprised to hear about that actually.” Rasa said. “Gaara hasn’t had any formal training before, lacking the temperament to listen to commands or take advice. His sand protection is automatic, he has had little need for it.”

“He should be trained, he needs discipline. It will help make it easier for him to maintain control.” Sakura said.

“I agree.” Yashamaru smiled at Sakura.

“You would agree if she said the boy should do a hundred laps around the village on his hands.” Sasori poked fun at Yashamaru.

Sakura laughed and covered her mouth. “I knew a jounin who would do that but instead of one hundred laps it was five hundred. He would give himself impossible goals but more often than not, he would finish them.”

“Was it a jounin from your village? It sounds most unusual.” Rasa asked curiously. Did this mean she was starting to remember where she had come from?

“I don’t recall.” She said quietly looking down into her lap.

‘She’s lying’, Sasori’s eyes flickered to the pulse in her neck. He could see it jumping ever so slightly and heard her breath deepen as she tried to keep herself calm. ‘Interesting”.

“Dinner is served, Kazekage Sama.” The same older man from before announced dinner, then left the room quietly.

Rasa offered Sakura his hand and led her into their dining room followed by his brothers.

“Gaara told me you enjoyed sweets so I had the cook make something special for dessert this evening.” Rasa pulled Sakura’s chair out for her.

“He did? I never told him I liked sweets?” She was surprised. The Gaara of her time knew she enjoyed sweets of course but this one here, didn’t, at least she hadn’t though he did.

“He told me your head turned to look at every sweet stand in the market today when you and Megumu were shopping.” Rasa was amused by the confused look on her face.

“I can’t believe he noticed, my gosh he really is as intelligent as I thought.” She mumbled.

Yashamaru laughed. “He remembers everything, notices everything, you weren’t kidding when you told him he would grow up to be a powerful shinobi.”

“You shouldn’t give him false hope.” Sasori snickered. “He might seem tame now but he is a monster make no mistake.” He warned her.

“The mistake is yours, he will grow up to be a very powerful shinobi, one shinobi from all of the five great nations will respect.” Sakura glared at Sasori.

“How do you know that, to say it with such conviction, like it’s a fact.” Sasori asked, watching her closely.

“I just know.” She knew it was a ridiculous reply, particularly ridiculous to say to someone like Sasori who was on the verge of picking it apart, she had no doubt.

“How do you know?” He surprised her with the simplicity of his question.

“She has dreams about him, as an adult.” Yashamaru jumped to her defense.

Sakura groaned internally. Yashamaru meant well, but just hearing him say it out loud sounded ridiculous even to her ears.

Sasori, as she had expected, scoffed. “That is ridiculous.”

“I didn’t expect you to understand or believe me.” She looked at Sasori.

“Science can’t explain everything.” She said.

“Actually it can, one simply needs to find the science needed to explain it.” He retorted studiously.

“Perhaps.” She mumbled into her drink she had brought with her. Unlike before she had planned on pacing herself with her drinking tonight.

“Speaking of which, I might have something that will help you with your amnesia dear, if you like. Come by the greenhouse tomorrow evening and we’ll see what there is to do about it.” He said smoothly.

“To help me.” She said slowly, looking at her drink and setting it down in front of her.

“Yes.” He cocked his head to the side and watched her.

“A poison Master offering to help me with my amnesia…” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“You don’t trust me?” Sasori asked lightly.

“Not at all.” She said seriously but Yashamaru and Rasa both laughed out loud.

Sakura looked at Rasa who sat in front of her. She had never heard him laugh. Sakura smiled as she looked at him and he stopped laughing looking to the left a bit which of course made her smile more, he was nervous.

“I like hearing you laugh. You should laugh more Rasa.” She said kindly.

“Ah, yes well…” He waved his hand slightly embarrassed.

Sakura’s smile grew and her eyes softened as she continued to look at the Kazekage.

Sasori cleared his throat to bring her attention back to himself.

“I was serious. I think I might have a solution to your amnesia dear. I would like to give it a try if you are willing.” Sasori insisted.

“Maybe. It depends on how tomorrow goes, how much work I have cut out for me at the hospital.” She said honestly, knowing full well she was walking into a nightmare.

“See you in one hundred years.” Yashamaru laughed. “It’s a mess ever since Granny Chiyo retired.”

“She’s here?” Sakura asked with a bit more feeling in her voice than she had intended.

“You know Granny Chiyo?” Sasori asked her suspiciously.

“I’ve not met her here but I have heard of her.” Sakura replied carefully.

‘Not met her here’, an odd way to phrase it’, Sasori pondered her words.

“She has retired and spends most of her time at home with her brother Ebizo,” Rasa told Sakura. 

“She won’t interfere with your work at the hospital.” He assured her and Sakura nodded, taking an offered dish of fish and turnips from Yashamaru who had started taking plates and filling his while passing everything he picked up to her.

“Cook seems to have out done himself tonight.” Sasori picked up the plate of peppered vegetables.

“He is pleased to have a new face at his table.” Rasa told his brother watching Sakura twitch slightly in her seat as Sasori reached across her for the hot sauce, his arm brushing hers.

He watched Sasori smirk and Sakura frown at her plate, an interesting interaction...clearly, Sasori made her uncomfortable, more than he would have expected even if they had met under unusual circumstances.

“I am really glad you took my brother up on his offer, Sakura.” Yashamaru broke the temporary silence. “We really need someone like you in our hospital. Someone who knows how to heal and is familiar with the rigors of combat.”

“I know it won’t be easy and I am sure I’ll run into a lot of opposition from your current staff but it isn’t anything I haven’t dealt with before.” She said thinking of the last time she had tried to help Gaara with his hospital in Suna, and that was in a time when they knew she was the fifth Hokage’s apprentice and had already made a name for herself. This time, she would be going in blind, without a reputation to precede her. This was going to be a nightmare.

“You’ve run a hospital before?” Sasori asked her, surprised. 

She was a skilled healer but it was unusual for a woman to be the Chief of Staff at a hospital of a great Hidden Village, which is why Rasa the Kazekage would be accompanying her for her first day. Sasori knew the troubles she was sure to run into and none of them were medical. He fully planned on being there to see just how she handled them too. He wouldn’t miss it for the world in fact.

“I’ve not been in charge of a hospital from top to bottom no, but I have run each moving part of one individually. I know how to organize and prioritize tasks to get things done quickly and efficiently.” She said with confidence.

“Where? Where did you gain this experience?” Sasori asked.

“I don’t remember, perhaps I will take you up on your offer and see if your cure works. I can do what is required of me though.” Sakura assured him.

Sasori nodded. Rasa had chosen well, he agreed with the decision and was looking forward to seeing what changes she would make. He saw Rasa nod his head in agreement but Yashamaru looked worried. Sasori rolled his eyes, the man was a twit, he had never liked him and he didn’t like him now. He could tell the man would try to hold her back already out of ‘kindness’.

“Perhaps putting her in charge of the whole hospital at once isn’t a good idea Rasa, maybe you could have her assist the current doctors with some operations first, to introduce her?” Yashamaru suggested.

Sasori knew it. “No. They need to know right away who is in charge and that it isn’t them. She can not be introduced to them as anything other than their superior or they will never see her as such.” That’s why he had never liked the man, he was weak.

“Sasori is correct Yashamaru. Your opinion is a thoughtful one but Sakura must start off as she means to finish, in charge.” Rasa agreed with Sasori.

“Don’t worry Yashamaru. I know how to handle men who think I don’t know what I’m doing just because I’m a woman.” She said kindly. “They will learn very quickly not to insult me. I assure you.” She smiled sweetly.

Sasori smirked. “I look forward to seeing how you ‘Teach’ them to respect you Sakura.” 

Sakura turned her head to look at the red head who had never used her first name before. It was strange to her, sitting here, eating with him like...friends. “You may observe as much as you like as long as you don’t get in my way. I can tell I am going to have a lot to do tomorrow if my own brief stay in your hospital is anything for me to go off of.”

Sasori smirked and inclined his head.

Two maids entered from the side door that led to the kitchen carrying heavy trays of sweet meats and fried pastries. Sakura spotted both the familiar tri colored dumplings and the white mitarashi dango with the caramelized sauce over top and her mouth started to water.

Rasa saw Sakura’s eyes light up as the maids set the desserts on the table in front of her and smiled to himself. It felt good to do something nice for her and see the pleasure in her eyes. It amused him to witness the interactions between his brothers and the woman as well. She seemed at all odds with Sasori one moment, then challenging him or accepting his challenge the next.

She humored Yashamaru and acknowledged his kindness even though it was not wanted. She was gentle and kind but seemed to be excited for the challenge of running the hospital. He was pleased that she wasn’t under any false pretenses that the job before her would be a difficult one and couldn’t help but wonder at her knowledge. Surely such a reaction came from prior experience and he found himself once again wondering just who this woman was and where she had come from.

“Oh my gosh this is so good.” Sakura had taken a stick of the mitarashi dango and had her eyes closed as she chewed.

Rasa smiled in the shadow of his hand as he watched her open her eyes, take another bite, close her eyes in bliss and smile as she chewed. ‘Adorable’, the word popped into his head and he picked his drink up , draining it in one gulp.

‘What else does she like’, he wondered. ‘What else can I do for her to make her smile like that’, he needed to know. ‘Gaara’, he had to talk to his son again. The boy had been right about the sweets, what else did the boy know about her…

“It was a pleasure having dinner with you, Sakura but I must go. I have border patrol tonight. Have a good evening.” Yashamaru nodded to Rasa and Sasori leaving the three alone to finish their dessert.

“If you’ve had your fill, why don’t we move back into the sitting room for a night cap.” Sasori noted Sakura had eaten the last dumpling on her plate and hadn’t made a move to take anymore from the plate.

“An excellent idea Sasori.” Rasa rose from his seat to take Sakura’s hand but Sasori beat him to it.

“Allow me my dear.” Sasori took her hand before she could protest and led her out of the dining room back into the sitting room, sitting down beside her on the couch he directed her to.

“As I said before you may use my greenhouse whenever you wish and of course help yourself to all of the plants and fungi available. I only ask you to clean up after yourself when you use my equipment and if there is anything I do not have that you need, please let me know and I will make arrangements to get it for you.” Sasori told her.

Sakura was surprised at his generosity. “Why are you being so nice to me?” She asked him suspiciously.

“I’m not being nice, I’m giving you the opportunity to prove your worth.” He smirked at her. “I want to see if it was a fluke or if you really are as talented as my brother thinks you are.”

It was Sakura’s turn to smirk. “I accept your challenge Sasori.”

“I was hoping you would my dear. I would have been very disappointed if you hadn’t.” He said sincerely.

“Well, there are a few things I would still like to do tonight. If you’ll excuse me.” Sasori patted Sakura’s hand. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning Rasa, I would like to see how the hospital staff reacts to our newest addition.” Sasori smirked and walked out of the room.

Rasa rose from his chair after his brother had left and sat back down beside Sakura handing her a fresh drink. “Thank you for helping us Sakura. I know it won’t be easy.”

“It won’t but it will help me focus on something else than my circumstances, and I want to be useful. You said you needed me before, maybe I need this too.” She said thoughtfully.

Rasa had given Sakura’s situation a lot of thought and had thought about what he would do if she accepted his offer to stay and help Suna’s hospital, her words about what he had done to his son, how he hadn’t taken responsibility for his actions had bothered him more than he had wanted to admit. He couldn’t deny the truth in her words however and he had come to a decision. If she stayed, if she helped him he would...try to take responsibility, with her help.

“I thought about what you said earlier, how I’ve treated Gaara.” Rasa began but paused. He wasn’t good at this. His wife had handled Temari and Kankuro, he had been the Kazekage and after Gaara had been born and his wife had died...he had found a nanny for the boy but then he had killed her and well, Rasa didn’t know what to do at that point.

“We were married young, my first wife and I. I told you before it was an arranged marriage. We got married at fifteen, we were still children ourselves I suppose. Adults in the eyes of the shinobi world,but young, too young to start a family.” He sighed and took a few quick swallows as Sakura sipped her drink beside him, listening intently.

“The council, they pressured us. They said Suna needed an heir, a strong enough heir for the one tail Shukaku. You see, the jinchuuriki before Gaara, was dying and we needed a new vessel, quickly. It had to be a member of the royal family though.” Rasa stopped and took Sakura’s hand.

“I want you to know I offered myself to become the new vessel, before Gaara was even born, before Temari and Kankuro were born but the council denied my request. They said I couldn’t because of the risk, because I was Kazekage.” He finished his drink and set it on the table, taking her one hand in both of his now.

“You got so upset earlier. I think I understand.” He didn’t know if he should continue, she hadn’t said anything yet, did she even care?

Rasa swallowed and set her hands in her lap. He rose, picked up the bottle of awamori and brought it to the table refilling both of their glasses.

“You told me that I was the monster and maybe I was. My wife, she...didn’t want to do it. She didn’t want to put Shukaku in Gaara. I left the hospital. I couldn’t watch and when I ran back to stop them, it was too late. Granny Chiyo had already sealed Shukaku into my unborn son.” Rasa picked his drink up and drained it, setting the glass back down with an unsteady hand.

“Why tell me this?” Sakura asked quietly.

“I don’t want you to hate me.” He ducked his head to see her eyes, he needed to know she understood why he had done what he had.

“I don’t hate you Rasa. Does Gaara know this though, does he know that you tried to stop it from happening? He didn’t seem to know that Shukaku was in him when I talked to him about it.” She asked.

“No, he doesn’t know.” Rasa cleared his throat. “I didn’t know how to tell him.”

“Sometimes just blurting it out works.” Sakura smiled and thought of Naruto. “Not everything has to have tact.”

“I’m not good with tact.” He admitted.

“Neither am I.” She laughed drinking half of her drink in her nervousness, he was so close again. She could feel the heat from his body, she took another drink to distract herself.

“Will you…” Rasa took a deep breath, what did he have to lose now after saying those things to her...he already sounded like a fool…”help me?” He asked her.

“With Gaara?” She tilted her head to the side. “You’re asking me to help you with Gaara and telling him why you made him into a jinchuriki?”

“He trusts you.” ‘I want to trust you, but I don’t know how’, he was at war with himself. Part of him was telling him, ‘Shut up you fool she doesn’t need to know this’. Part of him was telling him, ‘Yes, open up to her, tell her more’, he didn’t know which one to listen to.

“Honesty is always the best policy. It isn’t easy though. Honesty makes you vulnerable.” Sakura drank the rest of her glass and set it on the table looking out the window, it was getting late.

“Vulnerable.” Rasa nodded.

‘Was this part of what Gaara needed most, why she was here?’, she wondered.

“I’ll help you. For Gaara.” Sakura stood up. 

“It’s getting late and I have a lot to do tomorrow. Come over for breakfast, with Gaara and I. We can start there okay?” She smiled at the look of surprise in his eyes.

“Breakfast?” Rasa asked, confused.

“We have to start somewhere right?” Sakura bent over and kissed him on the top of his head like she did with Gaara, then blushed realizing what she had just done. “Goodnight Kazekage.”

“Call me Rasa. Good night Sakura.” Rasa stood and took her hand squeezing it lightly. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast.” He walked her to her garden gate and bowed low, smiling slightly.


	16. Chapter 16

“Ginkgo biloba, Hawthorn, and Ginseng.” Sasori muttered to himself pulling the herbs down from his shelves in his workroom that was attached to his greenhouse. She would be familiar with these herbs as memory inducing aides and hopefully, it would lull her into a false sense of security long enough for him to accomplish his true directive.

He had told her he would help her with her amnesia and he would. He would also help Suna find out who she really was and what she was hiding. 

Walking to his pill cabinet, he tapped each bottle until he found the one he had been looking for. “Midazolam, a sedative. “ Sasori pulled the bottle from his cabinet and slipped the pills into his pouch, he would need those to render her docile enough to get her into bed. He wasn’t taking any chances with the woman, she had proven both her intelligence and strength to him. Sasori needed to do this without Rasa’s knowledge, he couldn’t risk a commotion.

Twice now, he had seen her pulse jump, her breath change...the woman wasn’t telling them everything, he knew it, and he didn't like it. Pausing in his preparations only momentarily he reached into his pouch and pulled out his private storage scroll. Pressing his hand to the scroll he released its contents. 

A harmless looking bag of fluid lay before him on the table, sodium amobarbital, hypnotic truth serum. Sasori licked his lips, picked the bag up and moved to pull an IV rack from his closet, hung the bag and tucked the supplies he would need into the little holding bag on the side. Moving to the back of his workroom he bit his thumb and smeared his blood over the seal in the wall opening his private ‘cleansing chamber’, moving the equipment into the room ahead of himself.

Rolling the equipment to the examination bed in the middle of the room, he began setting up everything he would need to find out exactly who Sakura was, what she was doing in Suna and where she was from.

Sasori stepped back and looked around the room. Satisfied that he had everything he needed he left his sealed room, resealing it after himself and left his greenhouse for the night. Tomorrow, he hummed to himself, he would get all the answers out of her that he wanted and more.

Gaara was waiting for her in her bedroom when she got home, sitting on the end of her futon wiggling his feet back and forth.

“Gaara, baby it’s late. You should be sleeping already. Did you sneak out of your bed?” Sakura hadn’t burned the alcohol out of her bloodstream and she was enjoying the strong buzz it gave her.

“Megumu told me a story tonight about a Princess who lived in the stars. I want to go look at the stars with you.” Gaara watched Sakura take her outer layers of clothing off until she was in her shorts and chest wraps.

Sakura slipped a light cami strap top on and sighed in relief. Her clothes had suddenly become too confining in her buzzed state. She turned a lazy smile on the little redheaded boy. “Come on then sweety.”

Gaara jumped up from her bed and took her offered hand as she led him out into the garden.

Rasa leaned against the venting on the roof of the main house looking up at the sky, as he smoked. It was a peaceful clear night and he was enjoying his solitude. A stream of light opened up across the garden floor next door and Rasa looked down to see his son and Sakura walk out onto the garden porch and closed the door behind them.

“It’s just like the story.” Rasa heard his son tell the woman as he led her to the garden wall.

“Tell me this story, is it about a Prince and his tanuki?” Sakura’s words were slow and measured, Rasa noticed and he wondered at them. She had had less to drink tonight than the night before.

“No no. I told you, it’s about a Princess and the stars.” Gaara complained.

Rasa smiled. 

“Megumu told me it was a true story, that there was once a beautiful Princess who lived among the stars but she was lonely because many of her star friends had left her to fall to the Earth, never to return.” Gaara began to tell Sakura the story and Sakura sat down on the garden wall, drew him up onto her lap and rested her head against his, to listen.

“The Princess, missing her friends, decided to follow them to Earth to look for them, so she too left the night sky. When the sun rose, it was jealous of her beauty and cursed her. The jealous Sun took all of her memories from her and banished her to live forever lost, always looking for her friends that she would never find because she couldn’t remember who she was or where she had come from.” Gaara turned in Sakura’s lap and took her face in his hands.

“Is it you Sakura? Are you the Princess from the night sky? Did you come to Earth looking for your friends?” He asked her.

Rasa watched his son lean forward and kiss the woman on her nose only to sit back to see her face wet with tears.

“I don’t know Gaara. I’m not a Princess and I know my friends aren’t here but I don’t remember how I got here or how to get home. I don’t even know where home is.” Sakura hugged the little boy and looked up at the night sky, green eyes sparkling with moisture.

The Kazekage swallowed as he watched his son and this woman, who like the Princess in his son’s story had fallen from the sky to Earth and for that moment he believed in fairy tales if only because he wanted to.

Just as Rasa was going to step back into the shadow and leave, he heard his son tell Sakura, “Shukaku told me something today after you left for dinner with my dad.”

“What did that mischievous tanuki tell you?” Sakura kissed him on his forehead, making him grin.

“He said when I grow up, we will get married and have lots of kits and I will become the Kazekage and you will be my wife.” Teal eyes looked up at her with such hope and trust that she choked.

“Shukaku shouldn’t tell you such things.” She whispered.

Rasa leaned forward out of the shadows to hear them better.

“He says we were already together, before you came here, now in another time after this one. That I am the Kazekage and you were the apprentice of the fifth Hokage Tsunade Senju, and that’s why you dream of me.” Gaara persisted.

Rasa took two steps forward and stopped himself. ‘What is this?’, he asked himself.

“Gaara stop.” Sakura pulled away from the boy. “Please.”

“Why?” Gaara pulled on her shoulders, pulling himself closer to her again and rested his head on her shoulder, nuzzling her neck...just like the older Gaara used to do.

“I said stop!” Sakura picked him up and set him down on the wall, hopping down, back to the garden’s floor and taking several steps backward, away from the boy.

“What are you doing?” Gaara asked her slowly, his voice low. “Why are you backing away from me?”

“I can’t do this. I can’t do this anymore you don’t understand. You’re not him, you’re not him…” Sakura had her hands out in front of her and continued to back away from Gaara trying to focus her thoughts in her head.

“Don’t run away from me Sakura.” Gaara growled, and started stalking forward, toward the woman, his sand swirling up around him.

“Gaara, you don’t understand please, it’s too hard for me to be with you when you...I can’t.” She ran.

“Don’t run away from me!” Gaara’s sand shot off after Sakura, she jumped and dodged but her movements were slower, more sluggish.

Sand wrapped around her waist and pulled her down from the neighboring rooftop.

“Gaara!” Rasa dropped to the ground next to his son. “Stop Gaara, you will regret this, I know you don’t want to hurt her, look Gaara, look at what you’ve done.” Rasa turned and pointed to Sakura laying on the ground, a small trickle of blood escaped her mouth and was dripping down the side to pool under her cheek...her eyes closed.

“Sakura!” Gaara tried to run to her but his father stopped him. “Go home. I will take care of her. If she wakes and sees you, she might get upset. Let her calm down and then you can see her again.”

“I’m sorry.” Gaara started to cry. “I’m sorry, tell her I’m sorry!” Gaara disappeared in a whirl of sand.

Rasa swallowed hard and turned to pick Sakura up off the ground and carried her back to the main house. “Maybe tomorrow isn’t the best day for your first day at the hospital.” He murmured as he laid her down in his bed and went to the bathroom to get a washcloth.

Her eyes were open when he came back into his bedroom but she wasn’t sitting up. Rasa took the moistened cloth and started cleaning the blood from her lips and chin as her eyes followed his. She closed her eyes and a tear fell down the side of her face onto his pillow.

“How much did you hear?” She asked him.

Rasa didn’t answer her right away but finished wiping the blood from her cheek and took one of her hands in his, lifted her a little and then set her back on his pillows in a sitting position.

“I heard the lies the demon tells my son to torture him, using you as his subject because he knows how my son cares for you.” Rasa didn’t look her in the eye when he told her this and Sakura wondered what he was really thinking. Did he really believe his words or did he believe Gaara’s.

“I see that his words made you uneasy and I think I understand but I hope...it will not keep you from...wanting to spend time with my son, he is just a boy and doesn’t understand what those words mean. That they are lies of a deceitful demon...” Rasa took her hand in his and bent his head.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think the boy would attack you. I thought you were the only one he wouldn’t attack.” Rasa said sincerely, lifting one of his hands to run his finger gently over the swelling of her mouth where she had been bleeding.

Sakura watched Rasa’s eyes watch his finger ghost over her mouth, then her lips and she closed her eyes. The bed shifted underneath her and she opened her eyes to find him closer, his fingers curling under her chin. 

“I’m sorry my brothers were at dinner tonight with us, perhaps next time it can just be you and I.” His voice was soft as he tilted her face up to his.

“Sakura may I...could I…” His breath was warm, she could feel the heat from his body surrounding her and her eyes fluttered.

He must have taken that as consent and closed the small space between them tilting his head slightly so that he didn’t hurt the bruised right side of her mouth, his lips touched hers. It was so painfully soft and gentle, so light if she hadn’t known what he was doing she might have missed it.

Too soon was he pulling back, too soon did he stand up and step back from the bed. Sakura opened her eyes briefly before closing them again and falling asleep. It hadn’t been Rasa she had seen standing there beside the bed, his arms at his side, his back straight, no...it had been Gaara, her Gaara.

Rasa stood beside his bed for a few more minutes looking down at Sakura laying in his bed before pulling the covers up and over her. Leaning over her, he gently kissed her cheek and walked quietly out of his bedroom, down the hall to the guest room for the night.

Sakura woke to small snuffling noises and little paws clutching her hand and arm. Gaara had come into her room and was sobbing quietly beside her.

“Gaara.” Sakura opened her eyes and turned her head down and to the side to look at the little boy.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please don’t leave me. Forgive me Sakura. Please.” He cried louder and louder as he clutched her hand to his heart.

“I understand Gaara. I’m sorry too. I didn’t explain myself to you very well. I’m sorry Gaara.” Sakura placed her free hand on top of his head and pet his hair slowly.

She hadn’t burned the alcohol from her bloodstream last night and her head ached, her mouth was dry and she felt sluggish.

“Let me have my hand a moment Gaara, my head hurts.” She pulled her hand from his grasp slowly and placed glowing fingers to her temples, sighing in relief as the pounding in her head receded and the fuzziness dissipated.

Opening her eyes again she realized she wasn’t in her bedroom in the cottage and looked around. “Where are we Gaara?” She asked the little boy.

“My dad’s room.” Gaara crawled onto her lap, straddling her and wrapping his little arms up and around her neck cuddling close to her.

Sakura’s arms rose automatically to hug the small boy as she continued to look around the room. It was sparsely decorated. Each item or decoration had its own spot. There wasn’t a spec of dust or sand to be seen anywhere, which was odd for a village hidden in the sand. The wooden surfaces of nightstand and dresser were polished to a beautiful dark shine and the robes of the Kazekage hung on a coat rack beside the door, clean and pressed, the hat hanging likewise on the wall beside them.

“Do you know why I’m in your father’s bedroom?” Sakura asked not sure if she wanted to know the reason, she vaguely remembered last night and not at all how she ended up here, in Rasa’s bed. 

Quickly she looked past the little boy covering her top half to make sure she was fully clothed. Her face turned red as she realized she was still in her pajamas. ‘That’s right’, she told herself, they had been about to go to bed when…

“Oh my gosh, your father, did he, did he see me in my pajamas?” She groaned in embarrassment.

“Forgive me Sakura, I thought it best to see to your injuries than to protect your modesty. No one saw but myself and Gaara.” Rasa spoke from the doorway, Sakura groaned again.

“How are you feeling?” Rasa stepped just within his door and stopped.

“Better. Thank you for helping me last night. I don’t recall what happened after Gaara...helped me down from the roof.” She phrased it gently for the boy’s sake. He had started trembling in her arms again with sobs.

“It was my pleasure Sakura. Due to last night’s activities I suggest we hold off on introducing you to the hospital staff, perhaps tomorrow?” He suggested and she nodded looking inwardly, to her thoughts.

“Did you, did we um...I have this odd feeling that…” She laughed nervously dismissing the thought, it was silly. “Never mind,” She muttered her face turning red, she looked up through her lashes to peer at Rasa sheepishly.

Sakura stopped her nervous laughter at his expression. He looked back at her with a look of curiosity and almost...longing? She shook the thought from her head, she was being silly. It must have been the dream she had, meddling with her thoughts. She had dreamt in fragments last night, most of which she couldn’t remember.

Rasa continued to watch her from his door, his heart pounding in his chest. She looked so beautiful sitting there in his bed, hair messed, lips puffed and parted...his son in her arms. She didn’t remember his kiss he realized, part of him was relieved and part of him had hoped she would have remembered and perhaps...welcomed his attentions. He swallowed and walked to a chair beside his bed.

“Would you like to see my plans for your lab when you get out of bed?” He asked her, his tone deliberately light. “I have made some adjustments this morning to your office so it is attached to the lab we will build you for your convenience.”

Sakura nodded. “I don’t deserve such preference Kazekage, you are too generous.” She began but Rasa stopped her.

“I’m not being generous. I fully expect you to pay me back ten fold with the lives of my shinobi and by training my hospital staff to your caliber. Make no mistake Sakura, I will give you everything, anything you need...to better serve Suna.” He didn’t want to sound too stern but the truth was the truth and after kissing her last night, he felt that perhaps some distance was in order.

“I understand.” She smiled not at all put off by his sudden change in demeanor.

“...and Sakura, I told you to call me Rasa.” He didn’t smile, but his mouth turned up a bit on the side indicating his amusement at her sudden blush. Perhaps only a little distance...

“Rasa.” She said his name quietly.

Gaara turned in her lap to glare at his father. He could feel the rapid heartbeat in Sakura’s chest, could see her pulse jumping in her neck and was...confused and...angry. ‘Did she like his father more than him’, he wondered wildly. ‘That can not be allowed’, he growled in the space between him and Sakura, and his father.

“Gaara?” Sakura couldn’t see the boy’s face like his father could, but she felt his chakra start to spread and darken around them and wondered what had set the boy off.

“She’s mine. Shukaku told me so.” Gaara growled out at his father who watched his son with narrowed eyes.

‘Ours!’, Shukaku urged him further.

“Gaara, of course I’m yours. We’re friends and I care about you. Last night, what Shukaku told you, that isn’t from...this life Gaara. Do you believe in other lives, past lives?” Sakura tried to come up with a reason, anything to help the boy understand.

“What? Past lives?” She had caught his attention and he focused his eyes onto hers.

“Yes, when I dream about you, it is another life, I understand it now...where some things may be similar others are not. Shukaku is mistaken.” Sakura swallowed hard and closed her eyes. 

“We were never married Gaara, but we were close once, very close, as we are now only…” She paused. 

“There are different kinds of love Gaara. The love I have for you is not the same kind of love a woman has for a husband. I love you as a friend as a…” She wasn’t sure how to continue, the boy didn’t understand the differences in love, how could he, how he had been raised...

“As a mom?” His eyes were wide, hopeful and pleading.

Sakura swallowed hard again and closed her eyes, two tears slipped from her eyes and were caught by Gaara’s little hands. She nodded, “Yes Gaara, as a mother. I love you like a mother loves her child, here in this place...”

“I want us to always be together, Sakura, always. You belong to me, you’re mine, my...mother.” Gaara drew back and looked up into Sakura’s green eyes with his teal ones and smiled brightly at her.

“I’m not going anywhere Gaara. We can be together.” She closed her eyes and rested her forehead up against his making her decision. 

“I’ll stay.” She whispered.

Gaara turned his head against hers and looked at his father who had been watching them. “She’ll stay.” Gaara smiled at his father for the first time in three years.


	17. Chapter 17

Rasa watched her eyes dart across the blueprints of her office/lab on the table in front of them. He watched a lock of hair fall from behind her ear and slide over the top of her shoulders to rest beside her face...he resisted the urge to reach out and tuck it back behind her ear and to caress her face as his lips...Rasa shook his head and cast his eyes back to the blueprints on the table before them.

“Is it to your liking Sakura?” Rasa asked politely, his expression one of bland interest in her opinion.

“It is much more than I deserve.” She mumbled and pointed to a small partition between her lab and the outer structure of the building. “What is this?”

“I understand my brother said you could use his greenhouse and I have no doubt he will hold to his word, however, I think you might want a very small area in your lab to grow things as you wish. It is a small 6’ by 6’ area for your use.” Rasa explained.

Sakura looked up from the prints, then back down again. “This is too much Rasa, I feel like you are trying too hard. I meant it when I told you I would stay. You don’t have to do all of this for me.” Sakura frowned at the blueprint.

Rasa didn’t understand, why didn’t she want his generosity…

“I meant it when I told you I wanted you to have everything you needed to better serve Suna. You can not do the job if you don’t have the tools for it.” He hesitated. “Unless you’ve changed your mind.”

“No, I haven’t changed my mind. I’ll stay and help Suna but…” She couldn’t tell him she hadn’t had her own office in Konoha, hadn’t had her own lab or greenhouse…this was rapidly turning into something much larger than she had originally anticipated and she wasn’t sure she was ready for it.

“You will wish you had asked for more after your first week.” Rasa tried to make a joke of the nervous energy he could feel coming off of her in waves.

He watched as she wrung her hands in front of him and bit her bottom lip between her teeth. Understanding washed over him and he took a small breath in relief...it wasn’t him, she didn’t think she was worth it. For whatever reason, she didn’t think she deserved his generosity. ‘What an odd kunoichi’, he thought again. ‘Did she not understand how rare she was?’

“The wing of the hospital your office is being built in, is an older part built long before I took the office of Kazekage. It was built in my father’s time to quarantine sick who had contracted diseases from foreign lands we knew not how to cure. I have made the necessary renovations for plumbing and sanitation in addition to the small greenhouse. The greenhouse will be facing the outer wall that runs parallel with that wing.” He paused. “There is also a small storage room that leads to the walkway then out into the desert.” He explained.

Sakura looked up at him puzzled. She knew from her time in Suna before, the part of the hospital he spoke of, there was no walkway in her time and she wondered what he could be referring to. 

“I thought...the wall was, I mean, doesn’t the wall end there? The cliffs that surround the village start where the wall ends.” She looked back down at the papers in front of her as if they could supply her with her answer.

“It’s used by the family. I will show you later once your lab has been built.” He refused to elaborate when she asked him what ‘Used by the family’ meant.

“Sakura, Ka san.” Gaara hoovered by the door to his father’s office peeking in at them. “You said you would take me for flavored ice remember?” Gaara looked pointedly from his father to his ‘mother’.

Sakura smiled. “I remember Gaara.” She turned to look at Rasa.

“Go. I’ll see to the rest of the renovations.” He began to roll the prints up but turned to her before she could leave the room with his son.

“Thank you Sakura, for helping us, me.” Rasa inclined his head and watched her smile as she left the room with his son in her arms. There was a brief tick in his chest but he ignored it, he had a lot of work to do.

His eyes fell back to the table and the scrolls stacked along the edge in neat little tri piles. The missive from the Third Hokage telling him a team of proctors for the Chunin exams in the Fall would be coming within the next day or two to discuss the final preparations between the two villages.

He hadn’t told her about the Konoha representatives on purpose. He wanted to see her reaction when she saw them. The proctors were elite jounin, some of them former Anbu like the Sand’s proctors would be. 

If she was from Konoha, they would know her and she would know them. If she was the apprentice of the Fifth Hokage like the tankui claimed, she would be well known. He hadn’t heard anymore from his Anbu he had sent out with the merchants.

He had suspected, from the first moment he had laid eyes on her, that she was a Konoha shinobi, her clothes alone...were different than that of most Konoha shinobi but were similar enough to raise his suspicions. After seeing her fight his brother, his suspicions had grown. If she knew them, her face would give her away.

Sasori strolled into Rasa’s office, a bored expression hiding his intentions behind his visit. 

“I felt the woman’s chakra signature in your room last night but not yours. Isn’t it customary to spend the night with the woman you lay in your bed at night Rasa?”

Rasa sighed, he didn’t have to ask his brother who he was referring to, they both knew. Rasa turned slowly to meet Sasori’s eyes. 

“She was not herself, she had too much to drink, it was for the best.” He pulled the chair out from his desk and sat down, taking a scroll from the stack on the corner of his desk and opening it.

“After she had already gone home first?” Sasori pushed a bit more. He needed to know just how smitten his brother was with the woman before he made his move against her. He needed to know how far he could go and what he could get away with.

“If you already know what happened why do you ask such ridiculous questions Sasori?” Rasa didn’t have time to amuse his brother, he had things to do. Speaking with Sakura and spending his morning with her had set him back a bit on his schedule...but he didn’t mind. He did however mind his nosy brother in his office aggravating him with his selfish whims.

“To see your reactions of course.” Sasori sat down in one of the chairs in front of Rasa’s desk and leaned back relaxed to watch his brother read his scroll.

“I heard the boy, don’t you find it strange, what the beast is telling him, why would he do such a thing?” Sasori played with the end of his sleeve where a string had come loose.

“Lies, to torment my son no doubt.” Rasa said absently as he concentrated on the scroll he was reading. “Being a part of the boy means he feels what the boy is feeling. He knows of Gaara’s affection for the woman, their connection.”

Sasori pulled the string from the end of his sleeve and twirled it between his fingers. “What if they aren’t lies, but truths...in its purest form?” The string dropped from his fingers and he watched it fall to the floor at his feet.

“That’s absurd, you heard as you say, what the demon told Gaara, that he and Sakura would marry and have children. Gaara is four years old. Sakura is...well...too old for him.” Rasa set the scroll down, unable to concentrate on it now, giving his brother his full attention.

“Unless...she isn’t from our time. She keeps speaking of another life, of her dreams...what if, and this is a big if, but what if...she is from the future?” Sasori looked up, from the string on the floor and met his brother’s eyes.

“That’s ridiculous Sasori.” Rasa picked the scroll up from his desk again and began reading, he didn’t have time for his brother’s ridiculous outlandish fantasies.

“I wonder.” Sasori’s eyes swept back down to the string on the floor. “She speaks of things, like she knows, she isn’t guessing, it isn’t speculation, she speaks like she knows it to come, because it has already come to pass for her.”

“The strings of fate.” Sasori said clearly, “Are said to travel through both time and space. You know of the Second Hokage’s time bending formula don’t you Rasa?” Sasori ignored his brother’s annoyed huff and continued. 

“The Uzumaki were known to possess such seals that also distorted time.” He added.

“What is your point Sasori?” Rasa had a lot of work to do.

“No point. I only wonder...no one has heard of her, no one knows her, people don’t just appear out of nowhere Rasa, if what you say is true...she had to come from somewhere. I’m determined to find out where or when that is.” Sasori rose from his feet and left his brother staring after him.

“I wouldn’t have thought you to believe in such things, Sasori.” Rasa muttered before returning to his work on his desk.

“Sakura Sama.” A timid voice made Sakura turn, Gaara in her arms, to see a young woman bowing low before her.

“Oh um, hello.” Sakura smiled lightly looking the woman over.

“I am very sorry to bother you. I only wished to thank you. It was my husband’s leg that you mended after saving Yashamaru Sama’s life, we are grateful.” The woman pressed her forehead to the sand and dirt at Sakura’s feet.

Sakura’s mouth dropped open.

“Please, get up, there is no need to do that. It is nothing, it was nothing, really.” Sakura didn’t like this, she didn’t want people to bow before her like this, it was embarrassing.

“Please Sakura Sama, allow me to do this little service for you. My husband would have been off duty for the next two months and we would have been hard pressed to pay our bills. We are grateful for your kindness, he returned to duty immediately.” The woman continued to lay herself at Sakura’s feet making the pinkette grow even more red in the face.

“Get up please.” Sakura set Gaara down beside her and pulled the woman to her feet...people had stopped to stare at them, making Sakura nervous.

“This is just silly. I’m a medic, it’s my job. I was happy to help.” Sakura laughed nervously.

The woman had tears in her eyes and started to bow down again before Sakura but Gaara’s sand stopped her. “Ka San told you not to bow.” He said softly.

“Ka San, did he just call that woman his mother?” Sakura heard someone ask in disbelief behind her.

The woman shook before them, the sand wrapping around her waist preventing her from moving.

“I know what you can do for me if you like.” Sakura said, inspiration coming to her.

“Anything Sakura Sama.” The woman still shook in Gaara’s sand, terrified of it, but rose her head to look at Sakura bravely.

“Trust Gaara and his sand.” Sakura said. “You want to thank me for my kindness, be kind in turn.”

Many of the observers gasped in shock, some even began to back away, only a few were brave enough to scoff. Sakura ignored them all.

“He will not hurt you, he will protect you. He will protect everyone in this village, if the village would only trust him and treat him...fairly.” Sakura said loud for all to hear.

Whispers rose from the crowd but Sakura continued to ignore them, her focus remained on the woman in front of her. “Gaara, release your sand please. Show them you mean no harm.”

Gaara nodded and released his sand from the woman’s waist and stepped back taking hold of Sakura’s hand.

“Can you do that for me?” Sakura asked the woman gently with a smile.

The woman looked from Sakura to Gaara who was holding her hand and nodded mutely. 

Sakura smiled. “That makes me so happy!” Sakura clapped her hands together and smiled at the woman who tried to smile back.

“Thank you.” Gaara smiled shyly at the woman and inclined his head to her like the little Prince he was. “Thank you for trusting my Ka San and for...giving me a chance.”

The woman’s mouth opened and closed quickly. “Ka San? Oh forgive me!” The woman went to fall on her face again before Sakura and the young Prince but Gaara’s sand stopped her.

“You don't need to bow, remember?” He said gently and the woman nodded, scrambling back to her feet.

“You called her Ka San young Prince. She is...did you and the…” The woman faltered, it was not her place to ask such questions.

“Sakura is my new mother, because she loves me.” Gaara smiled up at Sakura who smiled back at the boy.

“Well, we’re going to go now. I’m glad your husband is feeling well and that his leg is better, please come to me at the hospital if you need anything. I’ll be working there from now on, starting tomorrow.” Sakura and Gaara waved as they walked toward the flavored ice stand.

The woman realized as they walked away she had forgotten to give them her name in her nervousness, but smiled at the picture they painted. Mother and son, walking to the flavored ice stand, and just like that, hope began to grow in the desert.

Merchants and civilians joined the shinobi that had witnessed the little scene and immediately, began gossiping as soon as Sakura and Gaara walked away. Sasori stood on the roof of a nearby shop and watched the pink and red head bob away down the main street of the market. 

“What a strange woman.” He muttered to himself as he listened to the gossip spread like wildfire. Leaping from roof to roof, he followed the pair to the flavored ice stand.

Sakura and Gaara sat side by side in the park eating their flavored ice, smiling at one another and talking, blissfully unaware of the commotion they had started in the market. Gaara looked over his shoulder to where he knew his Uncle was watching them, had been watching them and frowned…’What did the man want?’, he wondered but his attention was brought back to Sakura who pointed at a crab in the sand.

Gaara smiled and watched his new mother laugh and poke at the crab amused by its side winding nature. Gaara frowned as a scorpion rose up from the sand, impaled the crab with its tail and dragged it away.

“That was...disappointing.” Sakura frowned at the scorpion as Gaara turned his head to where his Uncle had been just moments ago, a scowl on his face. He had done it on purpose...Gaara ground his teeth in annoyance but was pulled from his rapidly forming foul mood as Sakura laughed and pointed at another crab climbing out of the sand nearby.

“He calls her ‘mother’? Yashamaru asked in surprise, staring at the redhead on the other side of the dinner table that evening.

“That’s what I just said you twit, pay attention. I’m not going to keep repeating myself for your convenience.” Sasori said, annoyed.

“I was surprised.” Yashamaru said angrily in an attempt to defend himself against Sasori's contempt.

“It seems Sakura and my son made quite an impression in the market today. I had two women approach me and thank me for hiring her to look after him. Word has even spread that she will be working at the hospital.” Rasa told his brothers.

“Not everyone is quite as pleased about it though. I heard some speaking quietly of her with great suspicion, she is a foreigner, it is to be expected.” Sasori said.

Rasa nodded his understanding but Yashamaru waved his hand dismissing it.

“They will see, give it time, they will come to trust her like we have.” Yashamaru smiled.

“You trust her?” Sasori raised an eyebrow at his idiot brother by marriage.

“Well, yes.” Yashamaru stammered a bit.

“Idiot.” Sasori muttered dismissing Yashamaru from the rest of the conversation. The man didn’t seem to understand the new set of problems the woman’s new popularity would bring them. The man really was a fool.

“You trust her don’t you Rasa?” Yashamaru tried.

“I trust her to watch Gaara and to do her job. She isn’t a Suna citizen Yashamaru, and her origins have yet to be confirmed. She hasn’t shown us any hostility but a shinobi in her position wouldn’t, would they…” Rasa replied.

“I can not fully trust her until we find out where she is from and what ties she has to whom.” Rasa said firmly, a slight pain in his chest. “I want to trust her, but I am the Kazekage, my village comes first.”

“Exactly, which is why you won’t mind if I continue to follow the woman and perhaps pull what information I may out of her?” Sasori took a piece of grilled tofu from the platter and looked up at Rasa directly.

“Of course not.” Rasa said hesitantly. He knew Sasori, perhaps better than anyone else. He knew the woman had sparked his interest in more ways than one...a possibly dangerous interest. He wasn’t sure of his own feelings for the woman or how far they might extend but he knew he didn’t want her hurt or...broken. 

“With care Sasori. I do not want her broken.” Rasa said, then added. “She is useful.”

Sasori nodded as if annoyed his brother even had to tell him such common place things, but inside her hummed with barely repressed excitement. His hand slipping into his pouch, his finger tracing the outline of the sedative he planned on using to subdue the woman. 

“Of course. Kazekage.” Sasori smirked.

Yashamaru narrowed his eyes at the Puppet Master. He didn’t like the man, or the way he was following Sakura, or his smirk. He was up to something, Yashamaru could tell.

“Something to say?” Sasori asked Yashamaru without looking at him. 

“I, unlike you, can feel the weight of your misplaced animosity, your intent. Tread careful Yashamaru, you’re out of your league, with me...with her.” Sasori continued to smirk.


	18. Chapter 18

_“Are you grateful now?” The whimsical voice breathed out over her face as she lay among the flowers._

_“Grateful?” Sakura turned over from her back onto her stomach and looked up and over at the woman dressed in multiple kimonos, like a queen._

_The fragile scent of the crushed flowers beneath Sakura’s weight lulled her and she closed her eyes._

_“I am grateful.” Sakura breathed in the gentle aroma of her surroundings and opened her eyes again._

_“He is coming.” The woman turned, her kimono’s hems brushing the tops of the flowers at her feet._

_“Who is coming?” Sakura asked pushing herself up into a sitting position to look where the woman looked._

_“The bringer of blood, the eye of the wolf he is coming, beware.” The gentle breeze in the meadow turned to a bitter whip and lashed out at the beautiful scenery around them._

_No more was there the gentle caress of the summer wind against her cheek but a harsh and almost brutal lashing of a winter storm, whipping their hair around their heads. Sakura’s breath caught in her throat._

_“You will have to choose flower.” Soft lavender eyes met green as the woman dropped gracefully down beside Sakura and took her hands in hers bringing her face close to the other woman’s face._

_“One can not exist without the other, there can only be one.” She told her as she held her hands gently between her own._

_“That's contradictory though.” Sakura didn’t understand._

_“Love is timeless, remember?” The woman’s voice was like a song, the cold wind ceased and their hair fell down around them._

_“You will not age, but all of those you love, will fall around you. Man was born to die Sakura and so they will, but you my dear, my dear sweet girl...will never die, will never grow old, will never decay” Slender white fingers slid through Sakura’s as the woman rose gracefully from her seat._

_“One can not exist without the other, there can only be one.”_

_“Wait.” Sakura called out as the woman began to fade away. “Please, tell me what that means.”_

_The woman’s voice carried over the breeze to Sakura’s ears as her image disappeared from sight, “ You are a mother now, who has no man, a woman with a name but no home to hold her there. Beware, his fangs are sharp, his bite is deep but it is nothing, nothing compared to the desperation the other seeks to quell with you.”_

_Sakura lay back down, her arms under her head, looking up at the clouds. ‘Who was coming? Who seeks to fill their desperation? I don’t understand’, Sakura frowns._

_Her arm twitches, but she ignores it to ponder the words of the nameless woman._

_‘I won’t age but everyone around me...will?’, “This isn’t what I wanted.” Sakura cried out to the empty sky._

_The itching was back and she looked down to her arm and screamed. Jumping to her feet she knocked the scorpion from her forearm and watched it struggle on it’s back, backing away from it quickly._

_Its legs kicked and its body twisted righting itself. Sakura stood still, her feet surrounded by flowers, the breeze playing at her hair and watched. Slowly, as though it were making sure it had her attention...its tail came up and over its head and stuck fast into the lush grass and soil of the Earth._

_Sakura covered her mouth with her hands, green eyes wide and fearful as the Earth crumbled away around the point of entry. She backed up swiftly as the devastation spread out from where the tail had pierced the Earth spreading its poison._

_The flowers withered and died, the grass turned from brilliant green to yellow then black with decay. Further and further she backed away from the crumbling Earth, afraid of the empty abyss before her. There was nothing, only blackness, only the unknown below as the surface of the Earth continued to die and fall around her into nothing._

“Sakura? Ka San?” Gaara was shaking her but she wouldn’t wake up. He had woken up in her arms, that had been holding him tightly, holding onto him while she moaned in her sleep. Jumbled words of nonsense spilled from her lips.

“Ka san...please.” Gaara didn’t want to cry but she wasn’t waking up. He looked frantically about the room for something, for anything but there was nothing. His chakra exploded around him in his panic.

“Megumu San!” He called out for the maid all the while pushing and pulling on Sakura’s arm.

Megumu came into the room followed by Rasa and Sasori who had felt his chakra flare, the latter pushing the maid aside to reach Sakura.

“Gaara sit over there, do not worry, she will be okay.” Rasa told his son who shook his head.

“No, I will stay here.” He held onto Sakura’s hand and glared at his father to tell him no.

“Stay, but do not interfere.” Rasa said before turning to his brother. “What is wrong with her Sasori, do you know?”

“She’s breathing but…” Sasori’s eyes widened and he looked from Rasa to Gaara unsure if he should say anything in front of the boy. “Her heart has stopped.”

“What?” Gaara collapsed on top of Sakura sobbing and clutching at her sleeping shirt.

“She isn’t dead boy, she is breathing, get off of her so I can find out what is wrong.” Sasori ripped the boy off of the woman with his chakra strings and set him in the chair beside the bed annoyed. “You there, maid, take him away.”

“Gaara, let your Uncle help her. She’s alive, do not worry.” Rasa spared a moment for his son before turning his back on him with a nod to Megumu who had tears in her eyes.

After Megumu had pulled Gaara from the room Rasa asked, “She is breathing but her heart has stopped? How is that possible?”

“It isn’t” Sasori bit out pulling a syringe and a bottle from his pouch.

“What are you doing?” Rasa placed a hand on his brother’s arm stopping him.

“It is a stimulant it will…” 

Both men stopped and stared at the woman on the bed as her chakra flared and swirled around her. The diamond in her forehead that she had lost when she had fallen from the sky burned and glowed an eerie purple for all to see.

“Sasori is that?” Rasa pointed to Sakura’s forehead.

“The Yin seal.” Sasori said with surprise. “Who the hell are you woman?”

“How is this possible? I thought only Tsunade Senju had that seal.” Rasa opened and closed his mouth in agitation.

“Well, she isn’t the only one now...is she.” Sasori reached out to touch the glowing purple seal on Sakura’s forehead. He licked his bottom lip and sent a surge of chakra through the tip of his finger into her seal.

“What are you doing Sasori?” Rasa growled as Sakura began to move and squirm under Sasori’s touch.

“What’s wrong brother, don’t you trust me?” Sasori smirked as he held his finger over Sakura’s seal and closed his eyes. Flashes of a young girl with pink hair and a red qipao filled his head. A dark haired boy with dark eyes glared at him and a blonde boy with whiskers on his face grinned and rubbed the back of his head. A masked man stood over all three, his headband covered one eye and the other crinkled as he smiled.

‘Hatake Kakashi, son of the White Fang…’, Sasori recognized that man but...

“What was that?” Sasori withdrew his finger and leaned back from the bed staring at Sakura’s face with uncertainty.

“What, what happened?” Rasa asked anxiously.

Before Sasori could answer, Sakura rose up quickly from her back to a sitting position and grasped the fabric of her sleeping shirt in one of her fists and the bedding by her leg with the other, gasping for air.

“Sakura!” Rasa was beside her, displacing his brother, much to Sasori’s amusement as they both watched the woman open her eyes.

“Sakura?” Rasa called out her name softly.

No words left her lips, her eyes were blank and starring...and then, she began to scream.

Gaara’s head shot up from Megumu’s hug and he raced back to Sakura’s bedroom on his sand landing beside her. 

“What happened? You said she would be alright!” He screamed at his father as Sakura continued to scream beside him.

‘Boy.’, Shukaku called out to Gaara.

‘Oi!’, Shukaku yelled to get his attention.

‘Not now!’, Gaara yelled at the Tanuki in his head.

‘I can help save her from the evil within’, Shukaku said quietly.

‘You can? Then do it! Do it!’, Gaara screamed at the tanuki who snorted.

‘Place your hands over her heart boy and give me control’, Shukaku instructed.

‘Give you control?’, Gaara hesitated.

‘Do you want to save her?’, Shukaku hissed silkily to the boy.

‘Save her’, Gaara placed his hands over his mother’s heart and closed his eyes giving Shukaku control.

**“Hello again my beautiful flower.” Shukaku purred as he rubbed Gaara’s head against Sakura’s neck as she continued to scream. “Don’t worry my beautiful mate, it will be over soon.”**

“So, the woman screams and the beast comes out. Tell me demon, did you take control of the boy or did he give it to you willingly?” Sasori asked Shukaku, seemingly unaffected by his sudden presence in his small nephew’s body.

“Shukaku?” Rasa asked in disbelief.

**“Watch your mouth, ‘Doll Master’. The boy gave me control, to save this woman, now be still and let me seal her.” Shukaku hissed at Sasori.**

“Seal her?” Rasa moved quickly to stop the beast but was knocked back against the wall by Shukaku’s tail that had sprouted from Gaara’s body to do his bidding.

**“Do not interfere.” Shukaku growled, low and deep.**

Sasori watched in fascinated silence as the demon beast’s hands and eyes glowed a vibrant sickening yellow. Murmurs of an indistinguishable language hummed from the beast’s lips as the yellow pulsated and flowed over his host’s hands and into the woman.

Sakura’s eyes glowed yellow and Shukaku removed his hands from her chest and grinned a wicked grin.

**“The seal is set. I will see you again my beautiful mate, when the boy is grown and ready to stand at your side once again.” Shukaku said gently, leaning forward and kissing Sakura’s mouth.**

Gaara fell back and away from Sakura as Shukaku released him and gave him back his body. Rasa rose from the floor and stumbled back toward the bed holding his head.

“What...did he do?” Rasa asked Sasori who had remained quiet and who hadn’t spoken since Shukaku had placed his seal on Sakura.

“Sasori, tell me what did the beast do to Sakura?” Rasa asked more loudly, shaking his brother by the shoulder.

“I don’t know.” Sasori pushed Rasa’s hand off of him and continued to look at the woman.

Rasa looked down at Sakura, a stern frown on his face. Her Yin seal no longer glowed and she was no longer screaming but he didn’t have a very good feeling about this. “Gaara.” Rasa shook his son gently until the boy opened his eyes.

“Sakura?” Gaara scooted back to Sakura’s side and leaned forward kissing her face. “Wake up now Ka San. Shukaku fixed it right?” Gaara looked from his father to his Uncle who looked back at him not understanding what he meant.

“Fixed what Gaara?” Rasa asked.

Gaara opened his mouth to say but shut it immediately.

‘Don’t tell them anything boy, for her protection.’, Shukaku laughed.

Gaara shook his head. “He doesn’t want me to tell you, to protect Sakura.”

“To protect her?” Sasori hummed his interest. “So the beast wants to protect her...from what or whom?”

Gaara looked up at his Uncle. “From people like you.” Gaara glared at him.

“What?” Rasa looked from his son to his brother. “Has your Uncle done something Gaara?”

“Not yet, but he will, he will try to kill her one day, with his puppets!” Gaara yelled pointing a finger at his Uncle. “Shukaku showed it to me, but she kills you instead!”

Sasori’s eyes snapped wide and his mouth dropped open. ‘How did the boy…’, Sasori looks down at the woman. ‘I will find out who you are even if I have to break you. That man, you’re connected to that man!’

“Gaara.” Sakura’s voice was weak but it froze all three males beside her bed. “Come here Gaara.” Sakura held her arms out for the boy and he fell into them hugging and kissing her face.

“Ka San, I was worried. Shukaku saved you, he sealed you to us, you’re ours forever now.” Gaara sobbed his happiness into her chest and hugged her body to his.

Rasa looked at his brother but his brother was looking at Gaara, his eyes narrowed. “Sasori, could you please tell the hospital Sakura’s arrival is postponed again at my request?”

Sasori’s head jerked to his brother. “Of course.” He looked back down at the woman on the bed. ‘Interesting’

After Sasori had left the room Rasa sat down on the bed beside Sakura and his son. “Would either of you care to tell me what the hell is going on?”

Gaara buried his face deeper into Sakura’s neck and ignored his father but Sakura looked at Rasa with a worried look in her eye.

“I had a dream that something bad was coming. Something with fangs, something bloody.” She almost whispered.

“I thought you told Yashamaru you weren’t a seer, or an oracle.” Rasa said as calmly as he could.

“I’m not, but it doesn’t mean some dreams can’t be real even if some of them aren’t. I think this one is real but I don’t know if the warning is for me or for you.” She said seriously.

Rasa thought of the scroll on his desk, the Konoha proctors were expected to arrive the next day, was that the danger she spoke of? If so, was it a danger to her, or for Suna? “You were screaming.” He told her.

“I was?” She lifted her left arm and looked down at it as though she were checking for something. “I screamed out loud?”

Rasa nodded, and watched as she looked around the room confused, then back at her arm.

“I screamed in my dream, when…” She shivered,

“Ka San?” Gaara sat up on top of her and pet her hair down around her ears as he looked into her face.

“A scorpion... poisoned the Earth in my dream and the whole world fell away.” She whispered.

“A scorpion.” Rasa said startled.

“Yes.” Sakura swallowed, her eyes haunted.

“No more.” Gaara hugged her again. “No more talking about it.”

“I’m sorry for scaring you Gaara.” Sakura kissed the top of Gaara’s head, but the haunted look in her eyes remained.

“The seal Shukaku placed on my heart Gaara, you let him do that?” She asked more curiously than upset.

Gaara nodded. “Are you mad? He said it would save you.”

“Save me. Did he…” Sakura murmured to herself.

“What seal did the beast place on your heart Sakura, do you know?” Rasa asked. She hadn’t seemed surprised at Gaara’s words which meant...she knew what seal it was. How, how does she know these things…

“It’s a tailed beast seal, to protect me from their chakra.” She said slowly. Her and Gaara, her Gaara, had discussed putting it on her during the war, so that if the tailed beasts were used against them, she at least would have been safe but she wouldn’t allow Shukaku to place it on her, thinking it unfair to the rest of her team. “Well Shukaku, it looks like you finally got your way.”

“You speak of the beast as though you know him.” Rasa looked at her with suspicion.

“I do.” She said simply. “From my dreams.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter for the night...or morning rather. It is 6 am and time to try to sleep.
> 
> So if this chapter doesn't read well, let me know, it might be because I'm tired.

‘Damn that woman, who was she and what the hell is her connection to that man!’, Sasori paced back and forth in his cleansing chamber. He ran his hand over the tools he laid out on the rolling counter beside the bed he had prepared for the woman.

Rasa was scheduled to leave next week, after the proctors from Konoha were gone, after Sakura’s office and lab were scheduled to be completed. He could wait. He would rather do what he needed to do, what he wanted to do to the woman...without the possibility of Rasa getting in the way. The boy would be easier, he didn’t sleep with the woman every night, and Sasori could have the maid check on the boy to make the woman feel more comfortable about spending time with him.

He ran his fingers over the chakra cuffs and sterile syringes, their chemicals lined up in perfect precision behind them. It was art, no one understood that. It wasn’t torture it wasn’t repulsive it was science, it was an art where the two came together to make something exquisite, something dangerous...his fingers trembled with excitement. He was going to enjoy this, her.

“I don’t care how you used to do it, this is how you are going to do it from now on.” Sakura stood in the main hallways of the hospital, hand on her hip leaning forward as she spoke harshly to the ten thousandth male who thought they knew better than she did.

Gaara was sitting on the counter watching, much to the apprehension of the nurses, who sat behind the counter and the patients who had to check in at the counter.

“I don’t care what the Kazekage says I will not be told what to do by some little girl who fucked her way into her position!” The older male yelled in Sakura’s face so hard that spit dripped from her face.

It happened so quickly, no one but Gaara and Baki, who had just walked through the front doors of the hospital, saw it.

“Whoa.” Kankuro ran to the man who sat doubled over, chest pressed against his knees, bleeding from the head.

“Who are you.” Baki barked out at Sakura advancing fast.

“She’s my mom.” Gaara said quietly from the nurses station.

“Lord Gaara. Forgive me, I did not see you there. You said this woman is...your mom?” Baki was hesitant to correct the boy.

Kankuro ran back to his sister who was leaning against the wall favoring her left foot.

Sakura wiped the spit from her face and lowered her fist, marched over to the man and grabbed him by his shirt collar. With chakra infused in her fist she lifted him from the floor and pinned him to the wall one handed. “You will do whatever I tell you to do. If I tell you to wash the toilets with your hands you will do so, if I tell you to file your paperwork at the end of each shift before you leave, you will do so!”

“Now,” She cracked her neck and set the man down. “Allow me to show you, why you will do everything I tell you to, the way I tell you to do it.”

Ignoring the talk and the looks cast her way she laid the man back out on the floor and pressed chakra to her hands running them over his arm, and his head. The scratches along his arm disappeared and the cut across his brow sewed itself back together slowly.

“There, you’re all better. See how easy that was? That’s what you will aspire to so help me, or I will keep breaking you over and over.” She stuck her hand out and held it there until the man took it, pulling himself up and off the ground.

“Thank you Sakura Sama.” He mumbled, dusted his clothes off and walked away with as much dignity as possible with everyone watching him.

Sakura turned in a full circle, her hand on her hip outside of her lab coat, “Anyone else got a problem with any of my changes?” She asked loudly.

“No Sakura Sama”, a few of the nurses bowed to her.

“Very good then.” Sakura smiled at the nurses who smiled back.

“What do we have here?” Sakura turned her eyes on her old friend. “You must be Temari.”

“Yes Mam.” Temari winced as she tried to bow.

“...and Kankuro?” Sakura patted Kankuro on the head who nodded with a slight blush.

“Baki San.” Sakura stuck her hand out at the jounin and smiled. “Nice to finally meet you.”

Baki crossed his arms and looked at the woman before him. He wasn’t impressed. “Who are you?” He asked rudely.

“She is Gaara’s mother and our new Chief of Medical Staff Baki.” Rasa spoke from behind, making everyone turn to face him.

“Gaara’s mother?” Temari whispered.

“Kazekage Sama, I meant no disrespect. We have just arrived back in the village. Temari is in need of medical attention. I believe she sprained her ankle on our journey back.” Baki bowed his head to his Kazekage.

“Welcome back. Sakura could you please look at my daughter’s ankle?” Rasa motioned for the small group to follow Sakura into one of the examination rooms.

“That won’t be necessary. I can do it here.” Sakura bent over in front of the young blonde girl and smiled. “This won’t hurt a bit.”

Baki’s eyes opened wide at Sakura’s clear dismissal of the Kazekage’s request, and then narrowed again in displeasure.

Temari watched in awe as the pink haired woman’s glowing green hands encased her ankle. Soft light chakra filled her joints and the pain stopped immediately. She could feel the swelling reduce as her eyes watched the bruising fade. “That’s...amazing!” Temari smiled at the woman who rose back up to a standing position with a smile.

“See? Nothing to it.” Sakura patted her on the head like she had done to Kankuro moments ago.

“How do you do that?” Baki demanded.

“With my chakra.” Sakura said simply.

“I know what healing jutsu is, I mean how did you do that so quickly?” Baki didn’t understand how she could possibly have healed Temari’s ankle in a matter of seconds. “Who are you?” He demanded.

“Baki!” Rasa called the man’s name out sternly.

Baki turned on his heel and bowed his head. “My apologies Kazekage Sama I just, it is a surprise. Only that one Konoha woman knows how to heal like that. It made me...suspicious. Forgive me.”

“I understand, but understand this. Sakura has proven her worth and she has my respect.” Rasa said clearly.

“Yes Kazekage Sama.” Baki looked from the Kazekage to the pink haired woman who was kissing Gaara on the head. The kazekage had said respect, not trust. Baki didn’t trust this woman who seemed far too friendly with the one tailed vessel.

“Is she really Gaara’s mom now? Did you two get married?” Temari asked quietly, watching her father and the woman look at one another.

“No Temari, she is Gaara’s mother, because they have...a special bond. She cares for him and he cares for her. We are not uh...wed.” Rasa looked away from his daughter’s gaze.

“Oh.” Temari seemed to deflate a bit.

“So, does she live with us?” Kankuro asked worried, he hadn’t cleaned his room before he had left on their survival exercise.

“She lives in the cottage.” Rasa told his son before walking away and leaving all three of his children looking after him.

“I will give our report, you are dismissed.” Baki gave Sakura one last hard look, and could have sworn she was smirking at him a bit, before leaving.

“So does Gaara live with you now?” Kankuro walked up to Sakura and started following her back down the hall, Gaara racing after them with Temari bringing up a much slower rear.

“No, but the cottage is by the main house so sometimes I wake up to him in my bed.” Sakura laughed and ruffled Gaara’s red locks playfully.

Gaara giggled and Kankuro and shared a look of bafflement with his sister.

“You two are more than welcome to come visit me anytime you like as well.” Sakura smiled at the twins as she opened the door to her office with a one handed release sign.

Temari eyed the woman suspiciously. She was more than she appeared.

“You’re not a medic nin , you’re a shinobi.” Temari accused Sakura.

“Actually I’m both.” Sakura smiled, the girl was just like she remembered her to be. Suspicious, stern and bossey. Sakura laughed delighted to see Kankuro and Temari again, even if they were mere six year olds.

“Sorry for the mess, but my office isn’t quite completed yet.” Sakura waved her hand around the room that was covered in a fine layer of saw dust, sand and other grime. 

“I wasn’t supposed to start until it was finished but I wanted to take a look at the hospital’s paperwork to try to get it into some semblance of order before I actually started.”

Sakura sighed. “As it is, it looks like I’ll have more than people to cut into and put back together.” She smiled at them and Gaara laughed.

‘It’s like I’m in another dimension’, Kankuro watched the woman hug and kiss his little brother and watched his little brother smile shyly, laugh and grin back at the woman. ‘Gaara’s mother huh?’, Kankuro looked over at his sister, was she thinking the same thing as he was?

Temari licked her lip nervously. She had never seen her little brother so affectionate with anyone before. She didn’t remember Gaara’s last rampage, it had been two years ago. She did, however, remember the fear of not knowing what was happening. 

People screaming and blood everywhere but that it was her little brother that had done it, no, she hadn’t known that at the time. She only found out after, when the kids on the playground started screaming, when their parents grabbed them and ran from them.

She remembered that day because that was the day their father had stopped smiling at them, had stopped...loving them all. Part of her had blamed Gaara, but a larger part had blamed...their mom, for being so weak that she died before Gaara could even open his eyes.

She looked over at Kankuro who was watching the woman and their brother...was he thinking the same thing she was?

Knock Knock

“Sakura Sama? I’m sorry to interrupt but room 102 is complaining of a pain no one else can find the cause of. I know you haven’t officially started yet but would you mind looking at him, we don’t know what to do for him.” The nurse who had brought Yashamaru his food after Sakura had healed him bowed low to Sakura.

“Kanna, I told you, you don’t have to bow and just call me Sakura okay, all this Sama is driving me mad.” Sakura laughed at the girl’s uncertain face. “I’m serious.”

“Uh yes Sakura Sam.. I mean Sakura.” Kanna smiled.

“Wait here if you like but I’m not sure how long it will take. If you leave Gaara, shut my door.” Sakura kissed him on the corner of his mouth and followed Kanna out of the room leaving the children alone in her office.

Temari and Kankuro turned nervously to look at their little brother who looked back at them with unblinking bland teal eyes.

“I’m going to wait here for my Ka San.” He sat on Sakura’s desk and kicked his legs back and forth patiently.

“You really think of her as your mom?” Kankuro asked timidly.

Gaara nodded.

“She isn’t our mom Gaara.” Temari started to protest.

“You’re right, she isn’t our mom, she’s mine.” Gaara narrowed his eyes at his sister.

“Come on Temari let’s just go okay. I want to take a bath and get something to eat.” Kankuro started pulling on his sister’s arm.

Before they made it through the door completely Gaara called out to them both. “Remember she’s my mom, not yours.”

They ran. 

Gaara narrowed his eyes and his fingers twitched but he didn’t move, he didn’t chase them. He remained seated on Sakura’s desk to wait for her to return to him, because he knew she would, she loved him, and only him.

Several hours later...

Four black dots jumped one after the other over the last dune to Suna, slowing as they approached the gate.

“Team Ro and Genma Shiranui one of the Hokage’s guard reporting from Konoha.” Kakashi Hatake handed over their travel papers to the Suna guards for inspection.

“Please remove your Anbu masks while in the village. Welcome to Suna Team Ro and Shiranui Genma San.” The Suna guards bowed shallowly to the Konoha proctors.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the insult but walked ahead leading his team to the Kazekage’s office in the heart of the village without issue.

“There are four new shinobi in the village.” Gaara turned his head to the gate as Sakura gathered her books and ledgers, folders and charts together for the day.

“Hum?” She asked absently as she tried to pile just one more folder on top of her stack.

“There are four unknown shinobi in our village. I don’t recognize their chakra signatures.” He said.

Knock Knock.

“Sakura Sama.” A masked Anbu knelt before her outside of her office door after Gaara had used his sand to open the door so Sakura wouldn’t need to set down her stack of papers to answer it. “The Kazekage requests an audience with you immediately.”

“Right now, but I have to get these home and…” She began to protest.

“Please Sakura Sama, allow me. The Kazekage said it was important.” The Anbu took the stack of papers and folders from Sakura with care.

“Well, um, I suppose, thank you Anbu San.” Sakura bowed to the man.

“It is my pleasure Sakura Sama.” Ryu continued to kneel holding the stack of papers for the woman as she left with the young Lord.

Rasa had told him to go to Baki after he had given him his last report on the woman, but Baki had already left for his survival training with the two eldest Kazekage children, so he hadn’t gotten his memories wiped. Ryu watched the woman and child walk out the front door of the hospital and down the street toward the Kazekage’s office.

Ryu had continued to watch the woman when he could, not under the Kazekage’s orders but because he worried for her safety. Kindness was rare in their world, the world of a shinobi, and true kindness, unconditional kindness without fail, even more so. He felt like he needed to protect it, protect her and not in a romantic way, he felt it his moral duty. 

Suna had lost more than shinobi in the last war, it had lost its heart, it’s ability to feel, to love. He felt Sakura might be able to bring some of that feeling back into all of their lives and Ryu wanted to make sure she was given every opportunity to do so.

Sakura pushed the door to the Kazekage’s office open when she heard Rasa’s voice bid her enter. She had Gaara in her arms as she entered, his red spiky locks blocking most of her vision. Setting the boy down she nodded to the Kazekage. “You asked for me Rasa?”

“Yes Sakura. As our new Head Medic I will need you to give these visiting shinobi a brief health inspection.” Rasa motioned to the shinobi next to her with a wave of his hand.

“You do that here?” She was curious. In her time they had stopped doing such things, but her time was longer after the wars and the scare of foreign diseases was much less.

Rasa straightened in his seat and watched the woman carefully.

Sakura turned to smile at the shinobi beside her and froze. She found her voice quickly though, suppressing her rapidly beating heart and her suddenly sweaty palms. “Welcome to Suna shinobi San. I am Sakura. Please follow me.”

“Just Sakura?” Kakashi’s voice filled her head.

Sakura paused at the door. His voice was off, it was different. Her eyes swept over his frame. He was leaner, thinner but not in a sickly way, he was more fit. His muscles were more defined.

Rasa shifted in his seat as Sakura looked Kakashi up and down silently. The Konoha shinobi with the senbon in his mouth snorted in amusement.

“Yes.” She turned her back on them again and walked through the door...they followed at a respectful distance.

Gaara watched the white haired man with narrowed eyes. “I don’t like him father.”

Rasa withdrew his own gaze as the last of the Konoha shinobi followed Sakura from his office. This was the first time other than the time Gaara had burst through his bedroom door to tell him Sasori and Sakura were fighting on the training field, that his son had initiated conversation with him.

“What don’t you like about him Gaara?” Rasa asked his son curious for his reply.

“He is dangerous.” Was all Gaara said before disappearing in a whirl of sand, presumably to watch over his mother while she attended to the dangerous shinobi from Konoha.

“...and she knows him.” Rasa said under his breath...


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Itachi is not canon age in comparison to his comrades, he will be 17 .
> 
> Yamato will also be the same age as Kakashi , 19
> 
> and let's make Genma 20...for fun

Sakura willed every bone in her body not to shake as she led the Konoha team to the hospital and to the West wing, her wing of the hospital.

“I’ve never seen you in Suna before...where are you from?” Kakashi asked her, eyes narrowed and observant.

“Kakashi, take it easy will ya, you’re going to scare away the prettiest woman we’ve seen in Suna so far.” Genma complained, flicking his senbon back and forth in his mouth as he eyed Sakura up and down appreciatively.

Yamato grinned in amusement beside Genma but Itachi walked silently, without any expression as they entered the hospital and followed the pink head down the hall and to the left.

“This way Anbu sans”, Sakura opened a large door at the end of her hall where all of her paperwork would be kept once the renovations were finished, ignoring Kakashi’s question. Chairs were lined up along the wall and a private examination room was connected to the room in the back, between her office and the first room. 

“The rest of you may wait here. You, come with me please.” Sakura point at Kakashi.

Kakashi followed the woman into the back room and sat on the examination bed, making no move to unzip his jacket. He watched her pull a form from her clipboard, turn to him and smile...a fake nervous smile.

“I can smell your fear.” His cold eye passed over her slowly from head to foot. “You may not be trembling but your chakra is...frantic, and you didn’t answer my question.”

His voice was cold, detached…’was this the ‘cold blooded’ Kakashi she had heard rumor of in her youth?’

“I do not fear you, do not flatter yourself Anbu San, and I am under no obligation to answer any questions you might ask me.” Sakura said with much more bravado than she felt. 

She was trembling inside but not with fear...with longing. He was her sensei, if not now later. He was her confidant, her friend and mentor and she...loved him very much. She had missed them, all of them but until she had turned and looked at him in Rasa’s office she hadn’t realized how...homesick she had been, until her home was standing there, tall and straight, staring her in the face.

Sakura knew this man wasn't ‘her’ Kakashi but still...

“If it isn’t me you’re scared of then it is someone else. I can smell your…” He paused, and tilted his head to the side.

“You know me.” A simple sentence with the weight of the world behind it.

“Do you know me?” Sakura asked quietly, meeting his one visible eye. She held her breath.

Kakashi didn’t move but the whole room seemed to breathe around them. Sakura felt her protective walls closing in and she blinked, swallowed then licked her lips.

“No. I don’t know you.” He said evenly after a long pause. ‘Is it her, it must be’, he narrowed his eyes at the woman as she visibly relaxed at his words. ‘She isn’t a very good actress’, he noted...dangerous, for her.

“I don’t know you either.” Sakura turned and took several deep breaths before turning back around. 

“I will do a simple chakra scan of your body. You may stop me at any time with your words. If you move in any way I will take it as a sign of aggression, am I understood, Anbu San?”

“Aggression...I understand.” Kakashi’s eye didn’t move, didn’t waver or twitch but Sakura swore under his mask he was...smirking at her.

Sakura stepped up to Kakashi, her hands glowing with green chakra, slowly, she ran her hands over his head and chest, arms then legs, abdomen and finally back up to his chest.

“Is that all?” He asked with a more familiar lazy drawl that she was used to hearing from him.

She smiled, a real smile Kakashi noted, “Yes.”

“You didn’t scan my face or my covered eye.” He said quietly.

“I don’t need to. I scanned your head in general. It is just a scan for disease, you are more than healthy.” She replied looking down at her form and marking the correct boxes for his examination.

“What if I’m hiding something dangerous under my covered eye?” He was mocking her she knew, playing with her…’Does he know’...

“Are you?” She placed her hand on her hip and widened her eyes at him in query. Challenging him.

She was not going to fear him, she was not going to let him know how much seeing him meant to her knowing he didn’t feel the same, she was a shinobi of the ‘Copy nin of Konoha, the Apprentice of the fifth Hokage’, she would do them both proud and get through this...she hoped.

Kakashi didn’t answer her, he didn’t move. Very slowly he rose from the examination bed and lifted his headband.

Sakura dropped her eyes to the floor before his sharingan could be uncovered fully. She heard a snort but continued to look at her feet.

“You give yourself away...Sa ku ra.” When she looked up, the door was closing behind him and a whirl of sand filled the room.

“Ka San.” Gaara smiled and looked up at his mom. 

“Ka San? Nan desu ka Ka San?”, Gaara looked at Sakura with worried eyes. She was breathing heavily and had her hand to her chest, he could see little beads of perspiration gathering at her forehead.

Sakura turned and pulled a paper towel from the rack in the corner by the sink and dabbed at her face pushing chakra through her body to calm her nerves as the door opened and the next Konoha nin entered the exam room.

“Sakura San, please excuse me, but it is time for my examination is it not? I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to come in or if you were going to come get me.” Uchiha Itachi apologized to her in his soft aristocratic voice, bowing his head politely to Gaara, then Sakura.

“Uchiha San, please have a seat, forgive me, my son distracted me.” Sakura waved to Gaara who looked more than pleased with himself. It had been the first time Sakura had introduced him as her son.

Itachi looked from the boy to the woman. “I was not aware the Kazekage had remarried, congratulations Sakura Sama.” Itachi bowed low again in respect.

‘He is so polite and so...unlike Sasuke’, she looked at the Uchiha with interest. ‘Sasuke’...

“Are you alright Sakura Sama? I apologize if I said something untoward that upset you.” Itachi inclined his head, eyes ever watchful, ever quiet. She looked dazed...

Sakura could feel her face turning red, the heat rising and flushing her features. “I’m sorry, no, you didn’t say anything wrong, you just, remind me of someone I once knew from...long ago. No the Kazekage and I are not um, involved, but Gaara is my son.”

Itachi inclined his head politely while Sakura infused her hands with chakra and started his exam. It wasn’t any of his business why she called the boy her son.

“Itachi San, your lungs they’re…” Sakura paused in her exam and looked up at the Uchiha who was looking down at her, with eyes so like his brothers…

“My lungs are fine.” Itachi said quietly.

“No they aren’t.” Sakura pushed more chakra into her hands and started pulling the dead cells from his lungs and replacing them with new, clean ones.

Itachi grunted under her ministrations but didn’t move otherwise.

“Sakura Sama, please stop. Under the laws of our treaty you are not allowed to treat a Konoha citizen without their permission.” Itachi raised his hand slowly and took one of her wrists, pulling it down and away from his chest.

“The hell with that Itachi San, this is bad, you need me to heal you or it will only get wo…”

Itachi cut her off with a polite shake of his head, smiling slightly. “It doesn’t matter.” He moved from the bed forcing her to step back so he didn’t step on her feet.

As he rose his chest tightened and he coughed. He frowned as he looked at his hand.

“I can keep you from bleeding internally, I can heal you completely Itachi San, if you don’t let me do this for you, you will die eventually if you don’t let me…”

Itachi cut her off again. “It is not necessary for my life goals to be healed at this time.” 

Sakura frowned, what could she say...she knew very little of his life goals but she did know one thing…”Think of your little brother, what of Sasuke? Do you want him to grow up without you?” 

It was a bold move. Itachi froze, his hand on the door, he turned and looked at her over his shoulder. “What do you know of my little brother…’Suna medic’”. He deadpanned his eyes cold. Itachi struggled to keep his eyes from changing into the feared red of the Sharingan.

Sakura shivered as his chakra began to leak from his pores reaching out to her from across the room. Gaara’s sand rose up around him in her defense.

“Forgive me.” Itachi bowed his head and reigned his chakra back in and around himself, leaving the room soon after.

Sakura slumped back against the counter, hand to her head.

“Are you okay Ka San?” Gaara ran to his mother, wrapping his little arms around her legs.

“These exams are going to give me a heart attack.” She laughed, looking down at her son. Why hadn’t Rasa told her he had been expecting a team of Konoha nin…’Maybe because her still doesn’t trust you’, she told herself, or maybe ‘He wanted to see how you would react’, she pursed her lips in thought. Either way, he didn’t trust her, but she couldn’t really expect him to under the circumstances...however the last few days...she shook her head, she needed to focus.

“That would be a damn shame. You’re too young and beautiful to die, at least before I get to know you a little better.” 

“Huh?” Sakura looked up from her son to see Shuranui Genma grinning at her from the doorway.

“You said you were going to have a heart attack.” Genma winked at her.

Sakura rolled her eyes but she smiled at the man. “You don’t necessarily die from a heart attack...flirt.”

Her exposure to Genma hadn’t been much. She saw him more in passing than in face to face interactions but his reputation as a ‘Lady killer’, was legendary among the hospital staff and village.

“Sit on the table Shiranui and take off your flak jacket.” Like she had done for the others, she grabbed her clipboard and pulled a new form from the back clipping it on top as she looked up at the man on her exam bed.

Gaara jumped up onto the counter and watched as his mom’s green glowing hands moved over the man. He didn’t like how the man looked at his mom, but he hated how the white haired man had looked at her more and how the dark haired and dark eyed man had almost, almost threatened her.

“So what are you doing tonight, want to show me around Suna?” Genma winked at Sakura who rolled her eyes again, smiling nonetheless.

“Save your flirting for the Suna dives Shiranui.” Sakura patted him on the shoulder and pushed him gently toward the door of the room. 

“Send Yamato in won’t you?” Sakura flipped her clipboard back in place.

“Yamato?” Genma turned back around to give her a questioning look.

“Is that not the name of the last Konoha nin with you?” Sakura was confused, it was Yamato, she knew it.

“Uh no, his name is Tenzo.” Genma smiled easily at her flush.

“Tenzo? Uh yes, could you please send Tenzo in?” She hid her confusion behind her clipboard as Genma left to get Tenzo for her. 

‘Tenzo?’, Sakura didn’t have much time to consider the difference in names as her door opened again and ‘Tenzo’, walked into the room and bowed politely to her.

“Sakura San.” Tenzo smiled politely before moving to the examination bed to sit down.

“Thank you for being patient Tenzo San. I apologize for taking so long to get to you.” Sakura ran her hands over the man’s chest and limbs.

“It’s no problem at all. Our captain is a bit hard to work with sometimes, sorry if he gave you any trouble.” Tenzo noticed the crease in the woman’s forehead as he spoke of Kakashi.

“Not at all, he was very...pleasant.” Sakura tried to smile.

“Pleasant?” A small twist of amusement at her phrasing ghosted his lips.

“Well, maybe not pleasant but I’ve had worse patients than him before.” Sakura laughed easily at Yamato...Tenzo.

“All set, everything looks good. If you or any of the members of your team have any health issues while you're here, find me. I’m not at the hospital full time but I don’t leave the village so I’ll be around.” She patted Tenzo on the shoulder before dismissing him.

She had expected him to leave like the others but he didn’t. She turned around with Gaara in her arms ready to leave the room but found him still sitting there watching her. “Is there something else Tenzo San?” She asked.

“You’re not like the other Suna shinobi we’ve met.” He said looking her over inquisitively.

“She’s new to the village, but this is where she belongs.” Gaara glared at the man, he needed to leave. His mom had spent enough time with these Konoha nin.

“New to the village? Where were you from before Suna?” Tenzo asked then backtracked. 

“Forgive me my vulgar curiosity, it is unusual for Suna to accept outsiders so easily or with such trust.” Tenzo nodded to Gaara in her arms.

“Stop asking my Ka San questions!” Gaara growled at the man.

“Ka San? You’re his mom?” Tenzo’s eyes went wide.

‘Shit shit shit’, Sakura banged her head against the walls of her mind. “Yes.”

They stood there looking at one another in an awkward silence before Tenzo coughed nervously under Gaara’s fierce glare. “Thank you for the examination Sakura San.”

“Of course Tenzo San.” Sakura walked out the door that he had opened for her back into the waiting room to face the other three Konoha nin.

Kakashi was leaning with his back up against the far wall facing the door when she looked up, his eye passing over her frame again, stopping when his eyes came to land on Gaara. Genma winked at her again while Itachi inclined his head politely if not guardedly.

“Ah, I will give your paperwork to Rasa. Please let me know if you need anything while you are here in Suna.” Sakura turned to go but Kakashi stopped her with his voice.

“Do you always address the Kazekage with such...familiarity Sakura?” He pushed off the wall to stand behind her, purposefully using her name with his own familiarity to gauge her reaction.

The hairs on the back of Sakura’s neck stood up and her skin began to crawl. Gaara glanced back and forth between his mother and the white haired man, a scowl forming on his small cherub face.

“He asked me to call him Rasa, so I do.” Sakura inclined her head and opened the door to the waiting room to leave.

“How convenient.” Kakashi whispered close to her ear, close enough for her to feel the heat of his breath and the whisper of his intent on her skin.

Sakura whirled on her heel, Gaara in her arms and pulled a kunai from her pouch dropping into a crouch and dropping Gaara to the ground in one fluid motion. Gaara’s sand rose up around him, his eyes darting from his mother to the Konoha nin in front of them, waiting for her to make her decision.

He had gotten close, too close too fast, he was so fast, she had forgotten how fucking fast he was. Damn it…

“Something wrong? So...tense...doctor…” Kakashi drawled, not at all concerned about the sand swirling around the room or the kunai in the pink haired medics hand pointed at his heart.

“No, nothing Kakashi San.” Sakura narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her. This was not ‘her’ Kakashi, this man...was someone else...this man was, ‘Cold blooded killer Kakashi’.

“Hey now, no need for that, come on Kakashi, calm down huh?” Genma broke the tension in the room.

Kakashi cast the brown haired man a scathing look before he relaxed his shoulders and took a step back from the woman shoving his hands in his pockets.

Sakura swallowed and slowly lowered her kunai but Gaara’s sand continued to swirl about them, around himself and Sakura, protecting them, waiting...his little teal eyes locked onto Kakashi’s one eye.

“Gaara, it’s okay baby, pull your sand back hunny.” Sakura calmed the boy, his sand dropped immediately at her voice and dispersed into the cracks of the floor and walls around them.

“Good day Anbu Sans.” Sakura turned slowly around, her back to the Konoha nin as she exited the room with Gaara by her side reaching up for her hand as they walked away.

“Kakashi.” She heard Tenzo address his Captain as she walked down the hall. 

“What were you thinking to do something like that, are you trying to start a war, it’s clear she is very close to the royal family, you’re going to piss off the Kazekage messing with the woman like that, not to mention that kid.”

Sakura never heard Kakashi’s reply, she and Gaara were too far away to hear him.

“She’s the woman, the woman those merchants from Suna were talking about.” Kakashi turned to his team.

“What woman?” Genma asked.

Itachi looked through the door, his eyes bleeding red and tomes spinning looking past the walls through the metal and the brick to the woman and the child walking out the front doors of the hospital. “The one who fell out of the sky, the one everyone is talking about from here to Konoha.” He said softly.

“Exactly.” Kakashi said rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I want her watched, we’ll take shifts.”

“...and her Anbu?” Itachi looked past the walls again at the man hopping over the rooftops following the woman and the boy to the Kazekage’s office.

“Stay under his radar, I don’t want anyone to know we are watching her, and we will only be watching her.” He turned to look pointedly at Genma who grinned and shrugged.

“Sure thing.” The man flipped his senbon in his mouth. “It’s a shame though, I think she liked me.”

Tenzo snorted.

“She left without escorting us to our lodging or waiting for someone else to come get us.” Itachi said.

“She trusts us, did you notice, it’s like she knows us.” Tenzo said what they were all thinking.

“I wouldn’t say trust, but yes she does seem to know more about us than she lets on.” Kakashi waved them to follow him. “Let’s find our lodgings and get settled in.”

‘Not nearly as much as I know about her though’, Kakashi thought to himself as his team followed him out into the streets of Konoha.

‘What will you do Sa ku ra, when you learn the truth’, Kakashi grinned under the cover of his mask and barked out rough laughter in his head.


	21. Chapter 21

Sakura climbed the steps that led to Rasa’s office trapped in her own thoughts. Gaara watched her face as they walked, he was concerned with the overwhelming look of sadness and dread he saw along the lines of her mouth and eyes. Something was wrong, something had happened, he wasn’t sure what it was but he knew it had something to do with those Konoha nin and he didn’t like it.

The door to the Kazekage’s office was open when Sakura and Gaara turned the corner in the hall. Sakura didn’t bother to knock on the door frame as she entered. Rasa looked up from his desk and the forms he had been signing when she entered with his son at her side.

“The examinations are complete, here is their paperwork. They all passed.” Sakura laid the folder on the edge of his desk waiting for him to dismiss her.

Rasa noted the lines of near invisible strain around her mouth and eyes. He wondered if he would have noticed them if he hadn’t spent so much time memorizing her features. “Sakura, is there...anything you would like to tell me about their exams?”

Her eyes snapped up to meet Rasa’s, she hadn’t meant to drop her gaze, hadn’t realized she hadn’t been looking at him but at her feet. “There is nothing to say, they are in good health.” She repeated without elaboration. She had already given too much of herself away with Kakashi and Itachi, she didn’t want to give anymore away. ‘Does it really matter?’, she asked herself.

She didn’t want to be here. She wanted to go home and collect her thoughts, she wanted to lay down in her bed, close her eyes and never wake up again. Sakura knew the Kazekage was watching her, knew he had seen something in her face , her eyes or her body language before she had left his office earlier with the Konoha team, but what could she possibly say in her defense...nothing. ‘Nothing he would believe anyway’, the cynical part of her brain whispered.

Brown eyes traveled down the length of her body, watched her fingers twitch, her foot shifted from side to side, she was upset about something but unlike before, Rasa couldn’t read her, he didn’t understand what her body language meant this time. He looked at his son. The boy's eyes were wide and moist, he gazed up at the woman with care...something had happened.

“Thank you Sakura, you are dismissed. Gaara, could you stay please. I would like to speak with you about something.” Rasa leaned back in his chair.

“What do you want to talk to him about?” Sakura’s eyes hardened a bit as she looked at the Kazekage suspiciously. She wasn’t a fool.

“He is my son.” Rasa said no more.

“...and he is mine.” She countered.

“...but you are not my wife. If I wish to speak to my son alone, I will.” Rasa leaned forward, his hands folded over one another waiting for her to protest further, unsure what he would do if she did, because Gaara would surely do whatever she asked him to.

With a quick jerk of her head that Rasa interpreted as a nod, she kissed Gaara on the top of his head, turned and left the office.

Gaara turned back to face his father who was looking at him with an expression in them Gaara had never seen before. He had seen his father look at Temari with that expression, at Kankuro with that expression, but never at him. His little feet shifted underneath him and his cheeks flushed.

“Gaara.” Rasa began then stopped. His boy was clever, much more clever than his other two children, he needed to be careful.

“Sakura seems upset. I worry for her.” Rasa pushed his chair out and came from behind his desk to sit in one of the chairs, motioning Gaara to do the same. Once they were both sitting and facing one another Rasa continued.

“I worry for her.” Rasa repeated. 

“Did something happen with the Konoha Anbu Gaara? I know you were there with Sakura, thank you for...looking out for her when I couldn’t.” Rasa bit the inside of his cheek.

Gaara looked at his father with careful eyes. “Some of them upset her.” Gaara said hesitantly.

“The white haired one he, I don’t know what he said to her during his exam but she didn’t like it.” Gaara ducked his head. He didn’t want his father to be upset with him, he didn’t think he was allowed to be in the examination rooms but Sakura hadn’t minded so he had stayed.

Rasa swallowed and nodded at his son, encouraging him to speak more.

“The black haired nin, the young one with the dark eyes, he is sick but not contagious. He wouldn’t let Ka San heal him, he stopped her with his hand on her wrist but Ka San insisted telling him if she didn’t heal him, eventually he would die.” 

Rasa raised his eyebrows at that and Gaara ducked his head. “I need to know these things, to protect Sakura, you understand right Gaara?” Rasa told his son who nodded solemnly at his father.

“She mentioned his brother, she called him...Sasuke.” Gaara jumped when his father surged forward toward him to grab his wrists, but his efforts were blocked by Gaara’s sand.

Rasa sat back, willing himself to calm down. “She mentioned the Uchiha’s brother? She knew his brother by name?” Rasa asked his son whose sand slowly withdrew and disappeared. Gaara nodded.

‘She’s from Konoha, she’s a Konoha nin!’, Rasa felt betrayed, he felt…

“The next one flirted with her and I didn’t like it, the last one with the funny eyes he asked Ka San where she was from, that she didn’t act like any of us, like a Suna shinobi.” Gaara said in his small voice, his fingers pleating the fabric of his tunic.

“He asked her where she was from?” Rasa paused, confused by this new discovery. ‘Did they not know her then?’. She might have amnesia but the others did not.

“When she was done with the exams and we were about to leave to give you their reports, the white haired one, the one with one eye stopped us. He wanted to know why she addressed you without an honorific, without common respect and with such familiarity.”

“What did she tell him?” Rasa asked, he was more than curious to hear her answer.

“She told him you had asked her to call her Rasa, just Rasa and he told her that was very convenient. Then he, he, he…” Gaara ground his teeth and stared at his hands hard.

“He what? What did Hatake San do to Sakura Gaara?” Rasa asked, pushing the boy.

“He darted forward and got too close to her, he leaned over her forcefully and said something in her ear he asked her why she was so tense and she pulled a kunai on him and he laughed at her!” Gaara exploded.

“I want them out! I want them out of Suna!” Gaara’s sand swirled around his feet, his little feet that didn’t touch the ground from where he sat in the chair in front of his father.

“She pulled a kunai on him?” Rasa wanted to make sure he had heard his son correctly before his thoughts carried him away.

Gaara nodded, his anger palatable. “I didn’t attack them, she told me not to.”

“...and you listened to her?” Rasa was surprised. He could see how upset the encounter had made his son, he was surprised that even in a fit of rage he would listen to the woman.

“She is my Ka San.” Gaara said simply looking up at his father who nodded and...smiled down at his son.

“Yes she is, thank you for telling me what you did Gaara, it was important and it helped.” Rasa smiled at his son.

Gaara’s heart leapt in his chest. His father was smiling at him...a real smile.

“I want to protect her as much as you do. Now go, make sure she is alright. It sounds like the Konoha proctors gave her a bit of a hard time. Have Megumu make her some tea, stay with her, see that she is safe.” Rasa put his hand on his youngest son’s shoulder and squeezed it lightly.

Gaara nodded and dropped to the seat in a pile of sand, then drifted away out the open window of his father’s office toward the cottage and Sakura.

“So, you’re not a Konoha shinobi.” Rasa said to himself, relief washing through him.

If she had been from Konoha, the Copy Nin wouldn’t have acted like that, not in private. The man’s actions in his office, his words made more sense to Rasa now and he saw it for the truth that it was. She was who she said she was, lost, alone trying to find a place for herself here, with Gaara and...with him.

“You trust her now don’t you?” Sasori could barely conceal his disgust and contempt in his tone as he walked into Rasa’s office.

“You heard?” Rasa asked his brother, though he needed not waste his time or words, it was clear by the look on his brother’s face that he had heard everything Gaara had told him.

“Clearly.” Sasori scoffed at his older brother. 

“You’re letting your emotions cloud your judgement. Even if she isn’t a Konoha shinobi, spy or not, we still don’t know who she is or where she comes from and it is extremely disappointing Rasa that you entertain such juvenile desires for the woman when she is a security risk.” Sasori was exasperated.

“Where is this animosity for her coming from? You are cordial enough to her face, you weren’t this worked up about her origins before now. What is your true objection here...brother?” Rasa narrowed his eyes at the redhead in full understanding of his actions, he was merely sticking the knife in and twisting it a bit...sibling rivalry and all that.

“Say what you mean to say, do not speak in riddles to me.” Sasori was getting agitated much to Rasa’s amusement. It took quite a bit to rile his brother up.

“That’s rich, coming from you.” Rasa’s eyes lit with humor and Sasori rolled his eyes.

“Enough of this, what do you plan to do about the Konoha proctors?” Sasori demanded.

“Do? What is there to do?” Rasa groaned, he hated it when his brother got like this.

“What if that dog tries to confront her again, what if he is more aggressive and backs her into a corner?” Sasori demanded.

Rasa raised an eyebrow to his brother. “Then I imagine she’ll punch him through a wall or bury him beneath a crater. So unlike you Sasori to be so…concerned for someone other than yourself.” 

“You’ve taken that woman in, a threat to her is a threat to you.” Sasori said flatly, refusing to rise to his brother’s obvious bait.

“Besides, this is no doubt your fault. Sending out that caravan…” Sasori rolled his eyes again.

“Perhaps you’re right.” Rasa murmured. 

“I’ll invite them to dinner tonight.” Rasa decided.

“Hum, yes and Sakura can come, we can observe them all in one spot. Of course, you know that means they can observe us as well.” Sasori pointed out to Rasa as if the Kazekage didn’t already know.

“No children then.” Rasa nodded.

Sasori watched his brother and sighed. “You know she will find out that you used Gaara to get information about her and she will be pissed.”

“I had to know if she was from Konoha Sasori.” Rasa met his brother’s eyes.

“I know, just be careful. You know everything the woman thinks and feels shows on her face..” Sasori walked out of the office leaving his brother to his thoughts.

Sakura nodded to Megumu as she entered the cottage, her shoulders slumped and her head began to ache. “I’m going to go lay down for a bit Megumu okay?” 

“Is everything okay Sakura Sama?” Megumu asked her friend in concern. The woman looked positively drained.

“Yes, just a hard day.” Sakura smiled weakly at the maid and walked into her bedroom, collapsing on her bed without even taking her lab coat off.

‘Friend killer Kakashi’, ‘Cold Blooded killer Kakashi’, yes, she could see why he had been called all of those things. She shivered. Kakashi had always been a sensei to her, a friend but this man was...frightening. More so because her guard kept slipping around him. His voice, a certain tone and it was like she was back in Konoha at Ichiraku ramen with her sensei and her boys, but she wasn’t.

Seeing Kakashi like this, how he is now compared to the man she knew...she realized how little she really knew the man. Little tendencies and gestures, looks and chakra flares that she had looked over, not understood as a kid ...it all made sense to her now and she wondered at the Lord Third’s sanity to let a man like that guide and teach a group of new Genin.

She sighed, maybe that’s why everything had gotten so screwed up...later though, he had tried...you can’t fake throwing yourself in front of others to save their lives, you can’t fake tears of love or tears of anger or rage…

No, he wasn’t the same man she knew him as because it had been them, her, Naruto and Sasuke who had changed him, had made him human again...maybe the Lord Third had known what he was doing.

She rolled over on her bed and buried her head under her pillow. Her boys. Sasuke. She groaned. What the hell had she been thinking to mention Itachi’s little brother’s name to him. Was she really that foolish, or was she really that lonely already? The Uchiha massacre...it hadn’t happened yet, should she tell him? Tell him to kill Danzo, warn him...about everything? ‘He wouldn’t even believe me, he doesn’t even see me as a Konoha kunoichi’, she groaned again.

This was bad, and so much worse because Rasa had asked Gaara to stay behind and speak with him. She knew he was questioning the boy and that Gaara would probably tell him, hoping his father would help him protect her from the obvious threat he saw in the Konoha shinobi.

Sakura felt the slight dip of her bed, then small hands as they wrapped around her middle. Gaara laid his head on her back and kissed her gently on the spine. “Are you okay Ka San?”

Sakura sighed, her past didn’t matter, why was she letting this bother her so much, she had already decided to stay. “I’m okay now Gaara. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

Sakura rolled over onto her back hugging the boy to her side and petting his red hair down over his head. “They just reminded me of people I used to know, that I used to dream about and it startled me.

“I was so worried about you Sakura.” He used her name like he used to. “I don’t want you to get upset and leave thinking maybe you don’t belong here.”

“I don’t like that they said you’re not like us and that...you weren’t from here.” He added.

“I belong wherever you are Gaara, that’s why I’m here. It doesn’t matter where I’m from.” She closed her eyes.

“Ka San.” Gaara buried his face in her side and breathed in her scent.

There was a pain in her heart, a very small pain that shot through its center like a spike, then faded away. “Did you tell your father what happened with the Konoha proctors Gaara?”

Gaara lifted his head and looked at her, his bottom lip trembled. “I was worried about you Okaa San.”

Sakura smiled at his formal ‘O’. “I know Gaara, I’m not mad but from now on...maybe what happens between you and I should stay between you and I. Other people might not understand or might, misinterpret it.”

“I’m sorry.” Gaara ducked his head and buried it in her side again.

“It’s okay, but promise me, from now on, whatever we say to each other or whatever happens when we’re together, stays with us, just us okay Gaara?” She repeated.

“I promise.” She could barely hear him but she had and she nodded satisfied.

“Kazekage Sama, the Konoha nin have made it to their lodgings without getting ‘lost’.” The masked Anbu reported.

“Thank you. Could you please tell my brother Yashamaru, Sakura and the Konoha team dinner will be in the great hall this evening and that attendance is mandatory.” Rasa waved the Anbu away.

“Yes sir.” 

“Dinner?” Genma whistled around his senbon. “Looks like you made quite an impression, Kakashi.”

Kakashi ignored the jibe and continued to look out of the small window in their borrowed room.

“Why would the Kazekage invite us to dinner?” Tenzo asked the room in general for anyone to answer.

“,,,because our captain tried to intimidate his head medic and the mother of his youngest son.” Itachi said quietly from behind his book from one of the bunk beds that lined the wall of the large joint room.

“Intimidated, not tried.” Kakashi pulled his attention from the active village below to look around the room at his team. “She was intimidated, but not in the way you imply Itachi. She was...saddened and...excited.”

Itachi nodded slowly in understanding, burying his head back in his book but Genma gwafed, “Excited, more like she wanted to shove her kunai into your gut Kakashi, you sure have a way with women don’t you.”

“She is not like most women.” Kakashi said quietly, they could take it as they wished, none of them knew the truth behind his words, save her.

Genma whooped and laughed, nudging Tenzo roughly. “Looks like Kakashi has a thing for the hot medic, Rasa better lock his woman up if he doesn’t want to lose her eh?”

“I don’t think she is romantically involved with the Kazekage Genma.” Tenzo muttered and stepped away from the man’s rough housing.

“What do you mean, the little guy called her his mom and I know that is one of the Kazekage’s sons.” Genma laughed again good naturedly.

“They are not married, however it is none of our business.” Itachi told Genma from behind his book again.

“So she’s available.” Genma scratched his chin thoughtfully.

“She is not. I told you not to touch her.” Kakashi growled from his window seat locking gazes with the flirty guard.

“Why, you want her?” Genma challenged.

“No, but she is not to be touched, do you understand...Genma?” Kakashi continued to growl.

“Look I was just joking around geeze.” Genma walked to the corner of the room and sat down mumbling something about rabid dogs and territorial pissing.

Kakashi turned his back on the room and continued to look out the window. It had been four years since that man had come, four years since he had been told about the woman, about Sakura...four years since he had died.


	22. Chapter 22

Rasa and Sasori had met Sakura at her cottage before dressing for dinner to speak with her. So with Gaara in her lap on the couch and the two brothers standing before her they explained themselves.

“Sasori and I have given this much thought, talked about it a great deal and well, we have decided there are some things that need to be said between us.” Rasa took a deep breath.

“I sent a caravan of merchants to Konoha the day after you arrived. We didn’t know anything about you and the last war didn’t heal all the wounds between the five great nations. If anything it cut them even deeper.” Rasa began.

“We needed to know who you were. I instructed them to tell the fantastic tale of your arrival, how we found you, how...beautiful you were. I wanted to see if word came back telling us anything about where you came from or what amalgamation you might have.” Rasa had the decency to at least look penitent while he explained what he had done and why.

“If I had been here it never would have happened.” Sasori added. “It was an imprudent idea, there are much more interesting and creative ways of interrogating you than to fish for information with some ridiculous fairy tale.” Sasori snorted.

“In consequence.” Rasa ignored his brother. “Shortly after the merchants arrival in Konoha the Hokage sent his team of Anbu under the guise of Proctors for the up and coming Chunin exams that will be held in Suna in the Fall.” 

“Team Ro and Shiranui.” Sakura grimaced.

“Yes.” Rasa confirmed. “I don’t think they would be here right now if I hadn’t been so rash.”

Sakura nodded. “I understand. You didn’t trust me.”

Rasa sat down beside her on the little couch making her tilt slightly. “I do now though. Gaara told me what happened with Hatake San. I’m sorry to have put you in that situation.”

“I know you aren’t from Konoha now.” He added looking sufficiently guilty and remorseful.

“So then who do you think I am?” She asked, holding onto Gaara tightly...

“I think you're from Konoha in the future, it is the only logical explanation that explains everything since you’ve gotten to Suna and how they found you alone in the desert, without any escort or supplies.” Sasori interjected.

“From the future?” Sakura choked on her own spit that was suddenly filling her mouth.

She looked from Rasa to Sasori. They weren’t trying to trick her, they were really asking her. 

“You don’t have to tell us right now if you’re not ready to.” Rasa began.

“Rasa, don’t be ridiculous, she has to tell us now. We told her the truth, you and your bleeding fucking heart wanting to set everything straight with her out of some false sense of pride or guilt over what you did to the boy here.” Sasori spat out frustrated with his brother’s lack of follow through.

“Enough Sasori. I am the Kazekage, not you.” Rasa stood back up and bowed to Sakura, his face flushed with either embarrassment or anger she couldn’t tell.

“The dreams that I have. I don’t know what some of them mean. I don’t know how I came here, that was true.” She hesitated.

“It’s okay Ka San, you can tell us. My father said he would help me protect you.” Gaara looked from his father to his adopted mother with a small smile. Sakura’s heart broke. There was so much trust in Gaara’s young face...

Sakura looked up at Rasa who at first looked away but then turned his head back and met her eyes, held her gaze and nodded.

“You said you would stay.” Rasa looked at his son in her arms then back to her.

“What Shukaku told Gaara, in the garden, wasn’t a lie nor was it true. I am the apprentice of the fifth Hokage Tsunade Senju and the student of Hatake Kakashi, The Copy Nin of Konoha. My name is Haruno Sakura, my best friends were Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.” She watched Rasa’s mouth tighten as she spoke, ignoring Sasori.

“When I was fifteen years old I...found an antidote to the poison that almost killed Yashamaru under the same conditions only it was Kankuro that had been poisoned after fighting Sasori of The Red Sand, who had defected from Suna at the age of fifteen to join a radical organization called The Akatsuki. They had kidnapped...Gaara, the fifth Kazekage who was also my...lover and friend...which is why I…” She wiped a tear from her eye. 

“Which is why I killed him with the help of Lady Chiyo Sama who gave her life using her own forbidden jutsu to save Gaara, to give him back to me.” Her shoulders shook.

“I told you.” Gaara said smugly as he hugged Sakura.

“You really did kill me? He wasn’t lying?” Sasori said with such a tone of pure amazement all attention was shifted from Sakura to himself.

“You’re the little girl who killed me?” He demanded an answer from her.

“Yes.” Sakura met his eyes. “I did.”

“Your healing abilities…your Yin Seal?” Rasa asked her, before Sasori could interject again.

“I learned them from the Slug Queen herself.” Sakura smiled weakly.

“You knew Uchiha Itachi’s brother’s name because…” Rasa opened and closed his mouth.

“He was my team mate, we grew up together.” She nodded.

“How old are you now then girl?” Sasori demanded.

“I’m nineteen.” She failed to see why that was important but answered him anyway.

“Sasori hasn’t left the village though, you said he defected when he was fifteen.” Rasa protested trying to wrap his head around this new information.

“That puzzles me too.” Sakura looked down in thought.

“I was going to leave Suna shortly after my fifteenth birthday but I changed my mind.” Sasori said quietly.

Sakura and Rasa looked at the redhead.

“Yes.” Sasori sat down in one of the armchairs across from the couch.

“I met a man on the way back from what I thought was going to be my last mission for Suna who told me...how I died.” He ran his hand through his red locks, something he never did and Rasa blinked. His brother was really upset.

“He told you I killed you? Who? Who was this man?” Sakura asked, setting Gaara down on her knee.

“Yes, he told me a little pink haired girl from Konoha killed me. It was ridiculous!” He got back up from his seat and started walking slowly back and forth his arms behind his back linked at the fingers.

“I didn’t believe him of course but he went on to tell me about my Hiroko puppet and how it worked, about it’s secrets that only someone I had fought tooth and nail against, a truly worthy opponent would know. He told me you...told him.” Sasori stopped his pacing and looked at Sakura.

She understood what he wanted, what he needed to hear to know he had stayed for a good reason, that he had made the right choice by not leaving Suna as he had originally planned to do before this mysterious person came to him.

“You were inside of Hiruko, controlling him from within. He had a tail like a scorpion and poisonous gas, flames and hundreds of thousands of poisonous senbon...he was terrifying but not more than...you were.” She swallowed.

“You asked me after we fought, you asked me..’You aren’t a puppet?’...because you knew that in the future I...made myself into a puppet.” He concluded nodding to himself.

“Yes.” She looked at him, understanding dawning on her. She saw Sasori in a new perspective. 

“That wasn’t what you wanted was it? You hadn’t even thought of it before... You told me when we were fighting that you were neither alive but nor were you dead, you were an incomplete puppet. You were the loneliest man I had ever met.”

Sasori nodded again. “I understand. Thank you, Sakura.”

Sakura’s eyes opened wide and Sasori smirked.

“I won’t be making the same mistake twice now will I doll?” He smiled at her.

“You and my son…he’s the one you loved that you had to leave behind?” Rasa interrupted his brother.

“I loved him. I still do, only now it’s a different kind of love. The voice, the woman in my dreams she told me she was sending me back to where the people I loved needed me the most.” 

Sakura smiled at Gaara and kissed his nose. “So here I am.

“Here you are.” Rasa rubbed his hand over his face looking from his son to the woman on the couch. 

“What the hell do we do now?” He turned to Sasori.

“Now, we get ready for dinner.” Sasori smirked as Sakura let out a deep breath and glared at him.

“...and Yashamaru?” Rasa asked.

“Is an imbecile and shouldn’t be told, lest he slip and mess it up. We will tell him after the Konoha nin leave Suna.” Sasori scoffed at the idea of telling Yashamaru something so important.

“...and you Sakura, now that we know who you are?” Rasa swallowed his nervousness and Sasori tapped his finger against the side of his leg waiting…

“I’m a Suna medic and Gaara’s adopted mother.” She pulled the boy into her lap and kissed the top of his head. “Unless you don’t want me here anymore now that you know who I am?”

Rasa looked at his brother who looked back at him, then looked away. “We want you here.” Rasa rose and bowed slightly, his eyes shining as he looked at her.

“I still have questions but...I suppose I am ...glad you want to stay as well. That doesn’t mean I trust you though.” Sasori eyed her warily.

“Of course not. I did kill you after all and I have questions for you too. Like who it was you spoke with that knew so much about our battle in the future.” Sakura smiled sweetly at him.

Sasori narrowed his eyes at her as Rasa pulled him from the room to dress for dinner.

“Another time then.” Sakura murmured into Gaara’s hair as she carried him into her bedroom to get ready for dinner herself. Their conversation was far from over...

Sakura sat in between Rasa and Sasori as the Konoha nin walked casually into the dinning hall followed by Yashamaru. 

“Sorry I was running a little late.” Yashamaru smiled at Sakura and inclined his head to Rasa, who rose to meet their guests, ignoring Sasori.

“This is an informal dinner, please have a seat wherever you wish. You of course know Sakura, my youngest son’s adopted mother, my brother Sasori, to her left and this is my other brother Yashamaru.” Rasa waved his hand over the table before he sat down again.

“Thank you Kazekage Sama for inviting us to join you for dinner.” Kakashi said formally, his eye lighting on Sakura briefly before bowing politely and sitting with the rest of his team.

“Of course, it was my pleasure. The cook is always pleased to have the opportunity to show off his culinary expertise. Isn’t that right Sakura?” Rasa smiled at the woman next to him.

“Kenta is a very talented cook.” Sakura smiled at Rasa.

She was feeling much better about her situation now that she had more time to think about it. Talking to Sasori and Rasa had calmed her. Gaara’s darling little voice rang through her head bringing her own words back to her.

“I belong wherever you are Gaara, that’s why I’m here. It doesn’t matter where I’m from.” 

That’s what she had told him and she had meant it. Sakura still didn’t know who the woman in her dreams was, she still didn’t know how she had been sent back, but she knew why...for Gaara. She wasn’t a Konoha kunoichi anymore, she was a Suna Medic and Gaara’s mother, and the keeper of the one tailed heart. 

“Would you like me to get you something to drink Sakura Sama?” One of the many yet to be named serving maids bowed to Sakura and spoke softly as not to disrupt the conversation of the men at the table.

Sakura looked up at the maid startled, she hadn't realized she had lost herself in thought. “Coffee please.” Sakura smiled at the girl in apology.

“Are you alright dear?” Sasori leaned toward her a bit bringing his leg in contact with hers brushing his fingers over her hand in her lap ever so slightly.

‘Back to this are we?’, she groaned internally. Hot, cold, hot cold…’Make up your damn mind Sasori’, she never knew what to think with him...of course she told herself, ‘Perhaps that’s why he does it’.

“Yes, sorry. My mind wandered for a moment. I’m fine.” She smiled at the redhead drawing away from him a bit, which brought her other leg in contact with Rasa’s but he didn’t seem to notice as deep in conversation with Kakashi as he was.

“I heard there was a small confrontation with the Copy nin earlier at the examinations. Was it anything that warrants my saying something on your behalf?” Sasori inquired politely.

Sakura turned her head to look at Sasori, “Not at all. It was a misunderstanding, my fault actually. Thank you Sasori, but there is no need to even mention it.” She said loudly enough for the Konoha shinobi to hear. She knew they were listening.

Amber eyes searched green, before he leaned back satisfied. She had found her resolve it seemed, he was...pleased with her strength.

“How was your trip across the desert? No issues I assume as you’ve all arrived safe and without injuries.” Rasa inquired.

“No problems at all Kazekage Sama, in fact it was quite entertaining. We met a small band of nomads just over the border that told us a fantastic tale.” Kakashi spared a quick glance at Sakura before he continued.

“Really, do tell.” Yashamaru leaned forward with interest.

Sasori rolled his eyes, barely able to contain the contempt he had for the man.

“They told us a tale about a mysterious woman that fell from the sky, and landed at your feet Kazekage Sama. No one knows where she came from, who she is or how she ended up in the desert alone and without supplies. They say she has beautiful green eyes that sparkle like spring emeralds and hair the color of a blush.” Kakashi inclined his head to Sakura who did look at him then.

“If I’m not mistaken, she sits there does she not?” Kakashi smiled a forced sort of fake smile at Sakura who met his gaze without looking away.

“Yes, it was Sakura, such an amazing story and true. She fell right out of the sky and landed broken and bleeding in our path. We brought her back to Suna and have made her one of our own.” Yashamaru leaned forward to smile at Sakura who blushed at the unwanted attention.

“Extraordinary.” Genma winked at Sakura. 

She noticed he no longer had a senbon in his mouth and she thought briefly, ‘Had she ever seen him without that damned thing in his mouth’, but quickly remembered, it didn’t matter...she wasn’t a Konoha kunoichi anymore. She was a Suna medic.

“Yes, Sakura came to us under the most unusual circumstances, we consider her presence a gift.” Rasa laid his hand over Sakura’s under the table, squeezing lightly then releasing it.

“I see, a rare gift indeed who possesses the Yin seal.” Kakashi tapped his headband indicating he could see the purple diamond on Sakura’s forehead.

She had made no effort to cover it, they had all seen it already anyway, there was no point in trying to hide it. 

“Yes, just like Tsunade Senju of Konoha.” Sakura inclined her head gracefully to the Copy Nin.

“I’ve never seen your seal before, when did that happen?” Yashamaru leaned forward past his brother to look at Sakura’s forehead.

“It takes time to replenish it, I had used quite a bit of it after I ...arrived in Suna.” Sakura lied to Yashamaru.

“How extraordinary Sakura, you truly are amazing.” Yashamaru smiled at her.

"Idiot.” Sasori mumbled under his breath and Sakura’s mouth twitched.

“There seems to be many...coincidences between your talents and that of one of our own. It makes one wonder where you may have gotten your training from, and from whom.” Kakashi said smoothly, his eyes flashing.

“What exactly are you insinuating Kakashi?” Sakura bit the inside of her lip. Damn this man…she could see the teeth behind his lips.

“You know exactly what I’m insinuating Sa ku ra.” Kakashi smirked as Sasori narrowed his eyes at the white haired dog across from him.

“Kakashi take it easy, please. I apologize, Kazekage Sama, Sakura Sama, Kakashi has a very um, colorful sense of humor and sometimes it uh…” Tenzo stuttered.

“I understand what he is saying just fine, Tenzo San, there is no need for you to apologize.” Sakura laid a hand on Sasori’s leg to still him, and he immediately twined their fingers together preventing her from pulling her hand back inconspicuously.

Rasa opened his mouth to say something as well but was interrupted by the doors opening wide, admitting several servants, under several heavily laden trays, of deliciously smelling food.


	23. Chapter 23

She could feel the weight of his stare as the food was laid out before them. She ignored the appreciative hum of the table’s occupants as the food was displayed, the Master chef’s representation of each signature dish and the feel of Sasori’s nimble fingers gliding back and forth over hers...the tips of which ghosted her inner thigh.

“He will not touch you my dear, not with both Rasa and myself here to protect you.” Sasori’s voice came to her ears in a whispered breath that made her even more uneasy than the weighted stare of the Copy Nin across from her.

“I can protect myself.” She replied quietly, her lips barely moving.

When she looked up it was into the knowing eye of the Copy Nin, a light smirk adding to his covered eye arrogance.

‘Strange’, she thought to herself. She had never seen Kakashi as an arrogant man, but then again, she reminded herself, this was not ‘her’ Kakashi.

Kenta bowed low to the gentle clapping as he left, allowing them to enjoy the beautifully artistic meal he had created for them. Sakura pulled her napkin from the table and placed it on her lap, inconspicuously trying to pull her other hand from Sasori’s wandering grasp. She could see him smirking out of the corner of her eye. One swift kick under the table had him biting his lip and her hand was free once again.

Once again Sakura looked up to see the amused look of an observant watcher, only it wasn’t Kakashi but Itachi this time. The slight upturn of the left corner of his mouth indicating he knew exactly what had just happened and that it had amused him.

Sakura blushed as she looked down at her now full plate. Looking back up quickly and to her other side she saw Rasa looking at her as he set down the dish of spiced beans and pork. “You seemed distracted, so I took the liberty of filling your plate for you.”

“Ah, thank you Rasa.” Her face was a much darker shade of red as she ducked her head and picked up her chopsticks, lightly tapping them into order as she began to eat.

“We’re looking forward to the Chunin exams this Fall Kazekage as are those who will be participating in them. They will be the first Chunin exams between villages since the last war. Do you think many of the other villages will send participants other than our own?” Genma tried to make conversation after everyone had served themselves and began to eat.

“It is my hope that many of the villages will send their participants, if not only for political reasons but to further the growth between the villages.” Rasa replied.

“I doubt Iwa or Kumo will send more than one Genin team, and if they do it will only be to spy on the other villages. They haven’t forgiven me for my prowess on the battlefield, nor would I expect them too, but don’t expect too much from them.” Sasori picked up his tea and sipped lightly on it.

“Yes, you were quite the opposition Sasori of The Red Sand. Your blood lust is...legendary even in your own time...and will be feared for generations to come.” Kakashi said languidly as he dropped a piece of eggplant into his mouth and chewed slowly, his eyes lifting to capture Sakura’s uneasy glance.

“Wouldn’t you agree, Sakura?” Kakashi looked up pointedly at the woman who shrunk visibly before him.

A flicker of her tongue wet her lips as she nodded at the white haired man, so familiar yet…”Why ask me?” She stiffened her spine.

“I value your opinion.” Kakashi leaned back in his chair and pushed his plate away from himself, hanging one arm over the back of his dining chair, relaxed.

“Why is that I wonder?” Sakura could feel Rasa leaning toward her in support, a wave of warmth she hoped didn’t show on her face spread through her limbs.

“Just an observation if you will.” Kakashi smiled falsely, his eyes moving from Rasa to Sasori and then back to Sakura.

“Kakashi man, come on, lighten up.” Tenzo laughed nervously, he could feel the subdued tension gathering around and between the woman and his captain, it was just about to break…

“Sakura is much stronger than she looks. I would tread carefully around her if I were you, son of the White Fang.” Yashamaru didn’t like this man, he didn’t like how he was pointedly drawing Sakura out into the conversation above the others...aggravating her purposefully. He didn’t understand the meaning, the context but he could tell Sakura did, Sasori did and Rasa.

“Is she? Perhaps a gentle spar then, tomorrow morning? If you’ll oblige me...Sa ku ra?” Kakashi grinned a wolfish grin and Sakura narrowed her eyes.

“Kakashi please.” Tenzo pleaded quietly.

“She can deny me my fun if she isn’t willing…” The last word rolled off of his tongue like poison and made Sakura shiver.

Once again Sasori sought her hand under the cover of the large dining hall table and twined their fingers together. “That might be very...interesting to observe my dear.”

Sakura turned her head quickly to look at the insane redhead beside her, her mouth slightly agape as she stared at him. His eyes sparkled as he looked back at her...in anticipation of her reply.

“Yes, I agree, I wouldn’t mind observing you in action again Sakura, you are a sight to behold when you get...worked up.” Rasa pursed his lips beside her. “What do you say, a friendly spar hum?” He raised his tea cup to the Konoha nin across the table from them with a politically correct half smile.

“How can I say no under such...forced influence.” Sakura laughed at their antics hiding her nervousness with bravado.

“I look forward to it.” Kakashi inclined his head to Sakura picking his tea cup up and turning it thrice in his hand.

“What the hell was that? What were you thinking pushing me into a spar with that man?” Sakura was pacing back and forth in front of the three brothers after dinner in the sitting room of the main house.

“Sakura.” Rasa began.

“No, no you had no right to do this to me, do you have any idea what you were saying, what this would mean to me, how it would make me feel?” She stopped pacing, turned and looked at Sasori then Rasa.

“He wouldn’t have stopped, he would have persisted relentlessly.” Rasa tried to explain his course of action.

“This is for the best my dear, better to get it out of the way.” Sasori nodded his head united with his brother for once.

Yashamaru frowned, he didn’t understand why she was so upset. He knew she could handle someone like the Copy Nin, she was more than skilled.

“You don’t understand, either of you, he was...we...he is out of my league!” She cried out and sat down heavily on the couch beside Rasa who handed her a drink.

She tossed the drink back, her hand limp on her thigh bracing the glass with two fingers. Rasa took the cup from her hand and refilled it, sliding it gently back into her grasp.

“He won’t attack you with his full power, it is a friendly political spar Sakura. We will be there, our Anbu will be there.” He tried to reassure her.

“You don’t know him Rasa. Witnesses, Anbu...he is Anbu! The stories I’ve heard about him, they were...he won’t hold back and I don’t know if I can fight someone I used to….” She lifted the glass to her lips and drained it again.

Yashamaru’s eyes widened with shock as she set the glass down on the coffee table in front of them.

“What are you giving her Rasa, what is that she’s drinking?” Yashamaru asked with concern, he could have sworn it was sake.

“Sake.” Rasa said, refilling her glass for the third time. “She needs it.”

“Uh, I don’t think…” Yashamaru began.

“You never do, now be quiet, this is important , she is upset for nothing.” Sasori waved Yashamaru away with a lazy hand and took Sakura’s hands between both of his running his thumbs over the small bumps of her knuckles, as he leaned forward in his chair.

“You’ll do fine. Do not insult me with your worry. You fight with admirable skill, you’re more than a match for him.” He told her. She had killed him in the future...what was she worried about...

Sakura frowned and picked up her glass once more, drained it and set it down. “We’ll see I guess, It’s not like I can get out of it now, thanks to you two geniuses.” She laughed airily and sighed.

Yashamaru looked at the woman with a slight frown and concern in his eyes. He had missed something, he could tell. His brothers seemed...closer to the woman in some way. He knew he wasn’t the genius Sasori was or the leader Rasa was but he didn’t consider himself a fool. He was gentler, kinder and therefore in their eyes weaker but he could tell there was something about this whole situation, this dinner that...rang false in some way. He just didn’t know what it was.

Rasa filled Sakura’s glass for the fourth time, and then one for himself, leaning back into the couch cushions.

“Don’t you have your rounds Yashamaru?” Sasori lifted his head from his own glass to shoo Yashamaru out of the room.

“Ah yes.” Yashamaru rose from his chair and left the room after giving Sakura one last look...that she barely acknowledged, lost in her own thoughts as she was. Yashamaru sighed and left the room and the woman to his two brothers.

“Sakura, you need to do this, for yourself. I saw you at dinner earlier. You still view him as your sensei. He isn’t.” Sasori said harshly.

“I know he isn't.” She began to protest, not liking his tone in the least.

“No, you don’t girl.” Sasori was annoyed, he shouldn’t have to be doing this. He was angry that he even cared enough to do this. 

“The harsh reality of the situation is that he is not the man you knew him to be. You learn a lot about someone when you fight with them, it is the only sure way of knowing who someone truly is. Battle, blood, aggression...they don’t lie.” He let go of her hands.

‘Had he been holding my hands this whole time?’, Sakura frowned.

“Everything you feel shows on your face.” Sasori said simply. Sitting back in his chair and sipping his drink. “You would do well to remember that.”

Rasa rose from his seat. “There are a few things that need to be attended to before your friendly spar with the Copy Nin. If I do not see you before you retire for the evening, goodnight Sakura.”

“Goodnight.” She mumbled, not bothering to look up as Rasa nodded to his brother and left the room.

She was at war with herself, he could tell. Sasori sighed, moving from his chair to sit down beside her on the couch. Sakura’s frown only deepend at his close proximity. He watched the thoughts fly through her mind as her emotions flooded the features of her face. He marveled at her capacity to express herself without words, something he failed miserably at, words or no. 

There were things he needed to tell her, to ask her,but he wasn’t sure if he was ready, or if she was ready to hear them. Instead he settled for something lighter and darker at the same time.

“When I fought you earlier, when I returned from my mission and didn’t know who you were...I was impressed.” He began.

Sakura continued to stare at her empty glass on the coffee table, wishing it was full again so she could drown her existence.

“It was clear to me you knew me but at the time, I didn’t know you. I could feel your hatred with every blow, every leap and every dodge. So will he. Only what he will feel, will not be hatred, will it dear? He will take advantage of it, you know that. That is what worries you isn’t it?” Sasori was not an emotional person, not because he didn’t have emotions...but because he did not allow himself to feel them, utilize them or want them.

Too easily he could see himself as a puppet, an emotionless void, a container for strength, power and skill lacking in any humanity, way shape or form...too easily. It had never really bothered him, never really crossed his mind in the negative sense most would harbor in their hearts, no, it was intriguing, wondrous and tempting. He hadn’t left Suna as he had planned...because he wanted to see, meet the person that would defeat him one day...and not as a puppet. The man had told him...she would come and to wait for her.

“Reality is fleeting my dear. You of all people in your unique situation must see this more clearly than those who are aware of your circumstances.” He reached out and placed his hand over hers...she didn’t even seem to notice.

His eyes flickered to her empty glass.

“Come with me dear. There is something I wish to show you.” Taking both of her hands in his he stood, pulling her up with him. 

She stumbled slightly, her weight leaning against his side. Barely a smile curved his lips and he pulled her closer, snaking an arm around her waist as he began to walk her slowly from the room and down the hall to his own private suite. Once inside he led her to his couch sitting along the wall with all of his books. Pausing to look down at her, her lids heavy. He walked to his private wet bar in the corner and mixed her a drink.

She took the glass and sipped. “What is this?” She murmured looking up at him with tired eyes.

“Just juice, a touch of sake and a relaxer for your nerves.” He pet her gently on her head smoothing her hair down over her ear with one hand, the other closing the door to his sitting room with a chakra string as he sat down beside her.

He watched as she continued to sip her drink, her eyes fluttering closed then opening again. Settling back into the soft cushions of his couch he took her free hand and set it in his lap. His thumb ran lazy circles over the palm of her hand, tickling her sensitive skin. Sakura giggled and tried half heartedly to pull her hand away but he held it in place with very little effort on his part.

“Finish your drink dear, there is something I would like to ask you.” His voice was soft and cajoling

With her eyes closed she obediently lifted the glass to her lips and drank the rest of the juice. Sasori’s eyes flickered to his wet bar, the white capped bottle on the ledge. No, he wouldn’t use the IV on her now, there was no need to torture her but...the pill form would suffice for what he wanted to know.

With a slight flick of his wrist he lifted the empty glass from her unresisting hand and set it back on the counter by the bottle of pills. Turning his attention back to the woman beside him he pulled on her hand forcing her to lean into his side, with his arm around her shoulders he brushed the hair from her neck and off to the side.

“When we fought, in your time, were you afraid dear?” He asked her, his thumb over the steady pulse of her wrist where it still rested in his lap.

“Hum?” She blinked up at him, tilting her head back so she could look at him with unfocused green eyes.

“Were you frightened when you fought with me, when I was...a puppet?” He asked her again, looking down at his fingers where they tracked her pulse.

“I was terrified.” She murmured. “Granny Chiyo told me not to worry though, that she was there with me and it helped but you were so...much more frightening than you are now it was my first real battle.”

“Was my grandmother happy to see me? Do you know?” He licked his lips, hesitant to ask more just yet.

“She was sorrowful. When she saw what you had done to yourself, I think it...shocked her and then saddened her greatly. She felt responsible.” Sakura opened her eyes and tilted her head back against his arm that he had around her shoulders and hummed gently.

“Was she.” Sasori said thoughtfully, he hadn’t expected that answer, but he had hoped for something similar, if only to himself.

“How did I reveal myself to you as a puppet if I was inside of my Hiruko puppet? I made him so that I wouldn’t have to be exposed in battle. I find it hard to believe I would shed his protection to face my grandmother of all people.” He let go of her hand to trace the outline of her jaw with two fingers.

Sakura giggled nervously, at his touch or her answer he wasn’t sure. “I punched Hiruko so hard, he shattered.” She giggled again.

He nodded in understanding, he had seen her power. “Of course you did.” He smiled in amusement.

“Did you enjoy that, forcing me to flee my puppet Sakura? Did you enjoy that power?” His voice was a gentle hum across her senses as she leaned closer to his touch, nodding absently recalling the details of their battle in her mind.

“You were such a surprise.” She admitted. “So young and handsome, but dangerous for all that too, it makes me shiver recalling that moment I first laid eyes on you and realized...you were a puppet.” 

As if on command, she shivered in his half held embrace.

“You thought I was handsome?” His fingers stopped tracing her jaw, dropping down to the soft curve of her neck and throat where her pulse jumped beneath her skin.

“Yes, it was your hair, your red hair.” She smiled then, opening her eyes and turning her head where it rested against his arm to look at him. “...and your eyes.” She blinked into his amber eyes. “So handsome…” Her voice trailed off as she closed her eyes again.

Sasori smirked. She was adorable, her cheeks flushed with drink, her eyes when they opened gleamed a soft green and her voice barely above a whisper reminded him of water when it danced over rocks in a stream.

“How did you survive our fight, I dip everything in poison. Even if you had made an antidote it would have worn off long before our battle would have been over.” He stroked her throat with one finger, watching his hand move across her collarbone and down to the collar of her shirt.

“I made several spares, just in case and kept using them throughout our fight and of course I have my Yin seal.” She tried to lift her hand to tap her forehead but found her arm much heavier than she remembered it to be and looked down at it curiously where it rested at her side.

She noticed his arm over her shoulder, looked at it for several minutes, turned her head and looked into his eyes that were too close. “Sasori?” She was confused.

He ignored her inquiry by asking another question.

“Am I to understand that for each cut, stab or...thrust I gave you, you took a pre measured antidote to my poison?” He was surprised at her preparation and means to execute the antidote while battling him.

“Um hum.” She laid her head back on his arm, it being too heavy for her to do otherwise.

“I would not have expected that.” He murmured tracing the closed collar of her shirt as he frowned.

“You underestimated me, mocked me..only slowly realizing I wasn’t just a little girl... until I used my Yin seal...after you stuck me with one of your poisoned swords. I think I had started to earn your respect by then.” She smiled with her eyes closed. “It’s why you let me kill you.”

Sasori had been slowly untying her shirt as she talked but his hand stilled at her words. “I let you kill me?” He asked looking up at her face.

Sakura turned her head so that her cheek rested against him and smiled, opening her eyes. “Yes. You were so lonely, I told you remember? Even though you were a puppet, I could still see it in your eyes...the loneliest man i had ever met. I think, you were okay with me killing you. I think you were tired of being alone.” Her eyes closed again, and she spoke no more.

“I see.” He watched to see if she would say anything else but he could hear the gentle wisp of her breath and knew she was asleep.

“So, “ He said to the sleeping woman in his arms, “Even as a puppet, I found you...stunning.”

Pulling her closer to him he brushed his lips over hers, moving slowly down her neck to kiss the base of her throat. “Even as a puppet...I wanted you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the last few chapters, they weren't my best. I'll try not to post anything when I haven't slept.
> 
> Thank you for your support in your comments. I appreciate it.


	24. Chapter 24

“Ugh.” Sakura raised a hand slowly to her head. “Did I really drink that much?” Her hand glowed green as she soothed her aching head.

“Ka San.” Gaara’s little red head popped up from the mess of blankets that covered them both. “You’re awake!”

She laughed at him, he was so cute, his big teal eyes dancing as he looked at her, inches from her face. “When did you get here little guy?” She kissed him on his nose which he wrinkled up batting at her face playfully.

“I followed Uncle Sasori.” Gaara played with the hair around her face.

“Sasori?” Her brow furrowed as she tried to recall the events of the night before. She groaned. “I forgot.”

“Wait, when did he bring me back to my room Gaara? Was it last night or this morning?” She asked with a slightly worried look.

“Last night.” He tugged on her hair playfully and nuzzled her face.

Sakura sighed in relief. “Thank goodness.” She laughed a little at herself.

“You’re not mad are you? That I came with him and stayed?” Gaara asked sitting back to look at her face.

“Of course not Gaara.” Sakura smiled, the throbbing in her head gone.

“Let’s get up and get ready though. I have a ‘friendly’ spar with one of the Konoha shinobi this morning.” She set him down on the ground and stretched with her arms up over her head, her back cracking.

“I’ll go check with Megumu to see if our breakfast is done.” Gaara chirped as he raced out of her bedroom practically tripping over his pajamas.

Sakura smiled to herself as she shed her clothes, grateful she was still in the same clothes she had worn to dinner the previous night. Setting the clothes aside and pulling clean ones from her dresser she looked up to see a small mark just above her left breast.

“Huh?” Leaning forward to look at her reflection in the mirror she inspected the mark. It was small, almost like a bruise or perhaps...she quickly went over the previous night in her head. She remembered being upset how the two brothers had basically forced her into a spar with Kakashi, then drinking and … “No.” She moaned leaning forward to look at the mark again as she withered her bottom lip between her teeth.

It didn’t really look like anything she assured herself, it could have been there before dinner and she just hadn’t noticed it with everything going on. Shrugging it off because she didn’t wish to entertain any other possibility, she dressed quickly and brushed her hair. Humming as she looked herself over in the mirror she opted to leave her hair down. She could always tie it up quickly before the spar.

Both Megumu and Gaara were at the small kitchen table when she entered.

“Good morning Sakura Sama.” Megumu smiled and handed her a cup of coffee with cream and sugar, just the way she liked it.

“Thank you Megumu and good morning to you as well.” She sat down beside Gaara who was piling a plate full of fried eggs and rice for her.

“Don’t forget the fish.” Megumu handed Gaara a small plate of grilled fish with a smile.

“This is wonderful, even fish huh? What’s the occasion?” Sakura took a bite of the fish and closed her eyes in bliss. “Delicious Megumu.”

“I hear you’re having a little tiff with the White Fang’s son this morning, you’ll need your energy.” Megumu smiled a little nervous smile. Sakura had told her they were friends but she was still hesitant to speak to her like an equal.

“Ugh, you heard.” Sakura took another bite of fish and Megumu laughed.

“Sasori Sama seems convinced the man won’t be an issue for you.” Megumu said.

“Yeah well Sasori seems to be under some delusion I’m a better fighter than I am.” Sakura laughed and sipped her coffee.

“You’ll be fine Ka San.” Gaara smiled at her through a mouthful of rice, a piece of egg sticking to his face.

“Thanks cutie.” Sakura took a napkin and cleaned his face off for him before refilling her coffee.

An hour later and three cups of coffee to the good she stood beside Rasa and Sasori stretching as the Konoha nin came into view across the training field.

“I hate you both equally, I just wanted you to know that in case I die.” She said dramatically.

“It’s so nice that you’re so comfortable around us now to say such things, as such...I’m not offended in the least and you’re not going to die.” Rasa smiled at the pink haired ball of nerves beside him.

“That’s what you think.” She muttered as Sasori rolled his eyes beside her.

“You killed me in the future, you can handle this for kami’s sake girl.” He said annoyed at her vexation.

Sakura turned her head to the Puppet Master with a frown recalling bits and pieces of their conversation last night that she had forgotten.

“That’s not...wait didn’t we talk about this?” She blushed, hadn’t she told him she had found him handsome?

“Hum?” Sasori made the interrogative noise as Kakashi came to a stop in front of them with a lopsided grin on his face, hands in his pockets.

“So any rules?” He asked, eyeing Sakura up and down.

“No borrowed kekkei genkai.” She said flatly.

“As you wish, no healing yourself until the spar is called.” He added.

“That’s fair.” She agreed.

“Anything else?” He asked.

She hesitated. “No chidori.” 

“No monstrous strength then.” He smirked.

“You can use your chidori then.” She growled.

Kakashi barked out a laugh. “Good.”

Rasa and Sasori walked off the field with the other Konoha nin that had come to watch, leaving Sakura and Kakashi to start when they were ready.

“I know who you are, Sakura.” Kakashi said so that only she could hear him.

“Who am I Kakashi?” She asked as if she didn’t care...but she did and her pulse tripped in her veins.

“Haruno Sakura, late of Team 7, of Konoha, the only female on my former team.” He smirked at her stunned face and leapt back and away after making the hand signs for a friendly spar.

“How?” She yelled to him.

“This is no time to talk Sa ku ra, I’m coming for you, prepare yourself!” He crouched low and disappeared.

Sakura whirled on her heel looking left then right. ‘Where, where…’, she asked herself. “Ah, I remember.”

She jumped back and twisted her body in the air to land with one knee bent to the ground. “Cha!”

Her fist hit the Earth making it crack and fall apart at her feet. Hidden among the cracked slabs and dust...was a shock of white hair.

“Holy shit.” Genma breathed out, his senbon falling from between his lips to the ground at his feet.

“He asked for it.” Tenzo crossed his arms over his chest as his eyes darted back and forth across the field following the stream of pink hair and flashes of white.

“She just, how did she do that?” Genma grinned, he was in love.

“He told me you were emotional.” The Kakashi before her continued talking even though he had been the one to say to leave the talking for later. “That you loved him dearly, loved all of your friends, that you would do anything for them.”

“Who are you talking about!” She hissed as she stepped back from his jab, then stepped in with one of her own which he blocked, twisted then came up with an over handed grab.

Ducking low she jumped, kicked out tucking her foot behind his shoulder and pulled as she fell back to the ground...rolling from his release. Sliding out from under her attempted throw he pinned her to the ground.

“Oafff”, the wind was knocked from her as she landed hard on her back, the Copy Nin falling on top of her pinning her to the ground. He was much more forceful, but she was older. He was more aggressive, but they weren’t the team mates she was used to. He was dangerous.

“Your old sensei…” He whispered in her ear. “Before I killed him.”

Sakura froze underneath him. “What?”

The Kakashi on top of her grinned, pulled down his mask and leered at her. “I said I killed your old sensei, the future me, when he was sent back...looking for you. There can only be one, didn’t she tell you?” He taunted her.

“Impossible.” Sakura whispered.

“He begged me, it was so pathetic, I can’t believe he was me in the future. He begged me not to hurt you. He told me you would be coming, that you would want to see me, perhaps come to me for help.” The kakashi on top of her continued to breath hurt into her face. “He was a fool.”

“When I saw the caravan the Kazekage sent to Konoha and when the Haruno’s little girl disappeared, I knew it was you. I knew you had come, like he said you would. Why do you think I’m here?” He leaned into her chest making it harder for her to breathe.

“He isn’t dead. There’s no way, it can’t be.” Sakura yelled, pushing chakra into her arms and legs she threw him from her chest and jumped to her feet. 

“You lie!” She screamed punching the ground at her feet once, twice, then a third time screaming out her uncertainty.

Boulders flew into the air, dust swirled and ebbed across the field floating up high into the sky and the entire field shook beneath her fists as she ran toward the white haired imposter, her heart on her sleeve.

“What happened, what changed, she is different, something happened.” Rasa’s gold sand shifted around him trying to find her among the dust and debris.

“There.” Sasori pointed as a streak of sand, dust and pink shot up into the air followed by the chirping of birds.

“What does he think he’s doing, this is supposed to be a friendly spar.” Tenzo’s face was grim as he watched the ball of electricity attached to the man streak across the field, then high up into the air.

With what was left of her chakra, without using her seal she infused almost all of it into her arms and to the palms of her hands. She had heard the chirping, she knew what was coming.

He flew out of the cloud of dust as fast as the lightning he held in his hand. She had barely gotten her arms up in time, had barely closed both of her fists over his hand before the world exploded and her vision went black.

A brilliant flash of green light meeting electric blue lit the morning air, then the sky exploded.

“What was…” Rasa’s voice died in his throat. “Sa kura…”

She was unconscious and falling from the sky. “Shit.” His gold sand rose up around him in a cloud as he raced to catch her. Chakra strings shot out past him, wrapping around her body, slowing her descent as his sand swept underneath her catching her.

Tenzo shot a forked beam of wood out to catch Kakashi who was also unconscious before he could hit the ground and pulled him back to where he stood with the rest of his team.

“Sakura.” Rasa bent over the woman touching her face gently while searching her body for injuries.

“Sasori, go get Yashamaru.” Rasa said to his brother who had knelt down beside him as he continued to look over Sakura.

Sasori scoffed. “What will he do, nothing. It’s best to wake her ourselves and let her heal herself.” He pulled a vial of salts from his pocket and waved it under her nose.

Sakura groaned and Rasa sighed in relief. 

“See.” Sasori tucked the vial back into his pocket and looked over at the Konoha nin and their charge. “The dog is out cold as well. I wonder what happened.”

“He killed him.” Sakura whispered, her eyes fluttering striving for wakefulness. “He killed him.”

“He killed who?” Rasa asked as Sasori stiffened by her side.

“Her old sensei.” Sasori said quietly to his brother. “The man that convinced me to stay in Suna and told me she would come and to wait for her.”

“What?” Rasa looked from Sasori to Sakura in confusion.

“He said there could only be one, that he was going to go to Konoha to find his other self. He was going to try to find a way to go back. It looks like it didn’t work out as he had planned.” Sasori looked down at Sakura. This was bad.

“Sasori, what are you talking about, tell me.” Rasa demanded.

“Four years ago, when I was going to leave, that man showed up, Kakashi Hatake, only it was her Sensei, the man from her time. He told me their war was over and he had been sent back to find her, but he couldn’t. He came across me by accident. I almost killed him, maybe I should have since I guess there really can only be one.” Sasori said calmly.

“There can only be one? What of her, what of her other self then?” Rasa asked his brother.

“I don’t know, but I suspect…..we shouldn’t speak of it here. Besides, she’s coming around and if what he said was true, she will want her vengeance.” Sasori looked over at the Konoha team. “He’s awake.”

Rasa patted Sakura’s face to rouse her. “Sakura, wake up. Hatake is up, you need to wake now.”

“I’m up, just...how could he do that…” She opened her eyes, tears spilled over their edges and splashed over Rasa’s wrist.

Sakura sat up and pushed Rasa away from her. Standing she wobbled only slightly. 

With the little chakra she had left she made a chakra scalpel and walked steady toward the Copy Nin who was awake but still sitting on the ground.

“Sakura, wait.” Sasori stepped in front of her.

“He killed him.” She said again and tried to push Sasori aside.

“What are you going to do, kill him in return, in front of his men?” Sasori scoffed, this is why emotions were such a bother.

“Do you really think they’ll let you?” He asked, turning to watch her walk away from him toward the Konoha nin, chakra scalpel flickering at her side.

“Sakura.” Rasa called after her standing beside his brother.

“Sakura Sama, please, stand down.” Itachi Uchiha stood in her way. “We do not know what it is between you and Hatake San but we can not let you do this.”

“What did he say to you?” Tenzo asked.

“Let her come.” Kakashi slowly stood up and turned to face Sakura. He wobbled, like she had but found his footing, bracing his feet apart, looking at her with that one eye of his. “You won’t do it and we both know it.”

Sakura growled and lunged. Itachi caught her by her arm, swung her around to look him in the eye and knocked her out with his sharingan. Genma and Tenzo grabbed Kakashi and pulled him back before he could do anything, dragged him to the ground and literally sat on him to hold him in place.

Sakura slid from Itachi’s arms into Rasa’s who had come up with his brother.

“Forgive me Kazekage, but I thought it best to gently restrain the lady before...more madness could ensue.” Itachi bowed low to the Kazekage and his brother.

“I understand. How long will she be out so I might tell my son who is no doubt going to worry about the state of his mother?” Rasa asked.

“One hour, no more and I have ensured she will have pleasant dreams Kazekage Sama.” Itachi inclined his head.

“Thank you Uchiha San.” Rasa turned to his brother. “I’m going to get her home, will you please see that they get back to their quarters?”

“Of course.” Sasori eyed the Copy Nin who was looking at him passively.

Tenzo and Genma released Kakashi, stepping back but still watchful.

“She said you killed him, is that true or were you just using it as a cheap trick to win the spar?” Sasori asked.

“Killed who?” Tenzo looked at Kakashi who shrugged.

“If I did or didn’t, it doesn’t change that she’s here and that the other one is missing.” Kakashi looked at Sasori with clear speculation in his eye. “He told me about you.”

“Did he.” It wasn’t a question so much as a statement as the two shinobi eyed one another with interest.

“He told me she killed you.” Kakashi barked out a laugh and ran his hand through his hair adjusting his headband.

“She told me the same. What else did he tell you?” Sasori asked.

“Truthfully, not much else. I don’t think he trusted me completely.” Kakashi grinned.

“I wouldn’t either.” Sasori turned to the other Konoha nin. “Please see that he gets back to your lodgings.”

Sasori turned to leave but Kakashi called out to him. “Don’t get too attached to her. One can not live without the other.”

“Are you threatening her?” Sasori turned back to face the dog, his chakra flaring around him.

“Not me, no, but her…” Kakashi pointed up to the sky. “She will, definitely.”

“Hum.” Sasori narrowed his eyes at the man but he refused to say more. “Go.” He waved the Konoha nin away, turning only after he was sure they were back in their assigned lodgings.


	25. Chapter 25

“So, you want to tell us what’s going on, Kakashi?” Genma leaned back on the couch, his hands behind his head, fingers laced.

“Not particularly.” Kakashi sat in the chair by the window again looking out over Suna. There was nothing to explain...that they would understand.

“Why would you use that jutsu Kakashi, in a friendly spar?” Tenzo asked, voice tense. Kakashi had been acting strange ever since they had gotten to Suna...since they had met the pink haired medic.

“He wanted to see if she could stop it, and she did.” Itachi sat at the table on the far end of the room, book unopened in his hand, observing.

“Is that true, did you know she could stop it? That’s a bit of a risk though don’t you think, what if she didn’t and you killed her?” Tenzo asked, clearly agitated by his captain’s lack of response and explanation.

“Then I imagine we would go to war.” Kakashi kicked his chair back and rose to his feet. “I’m going for a walk.”

“Kakashi, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Genma warned.

“I didn’t ask you to come, or for your opinion.” Kakashi raised his hand over his shoulder in farewell as he walked out the door.

“What do we do now?” Genma turned to Tenzo.

“He said he wanted one of us to watch her at all times. I’ll go now, you can take a shift later after dinner, get some rest.” Tenzo left the room shutting the door behind him.

Itachi opened his book and began to read leaving Genma to sigh and look out the window.

Kakashi ran over the Suna rooftops, he could sense the Anbu following him but it didn’t matter, he wasn’t doing anything wrong. Settling onto the highest plateau he stood looking out over the desert. She hadn’t reacted like he thought she would, he had...miscalculated. She had come at him with every intention of killing him.

A fleeting smile graced his lips under his mask, he was pleased. It meant his other self had been wrong, perhaps they weren’t as good of friends as his other self had thought they were...or perhaps she had changed since she had gotten here, to this time. Either way, it made things infinitely more interesting.

What he also found interesting was the familial dynamics of the royal family in relation to a woman they barely knew. The Kazekage, though strong, was not as strong as the younger brother, the third one he knew to be from the Kazekage’s deceased wife...was useless. All three brothers seemed to be quite taken with the pink haired medic but she...didn’t seem to favor one over the other, in fact she seemed almost annoyed with their attention. He wondered why she stayed.

That led his thoughts to the boy. His other self had told him many things, but as time went on he had told him less and less. The trust between them had waned as the evidence of their differences surfaced. One of the more interesting things the man had told him was she had taken the Kazekage of their time, as her lover. The boy was only a child now, four years old if he were to guess...hardly a lover now...and he called her mother.

Kakashi laughed out loud, his bark carrying over the plateau and off into the desert. Hardly a lover...which to him meant...she was available.

What had the man said to him…’She puts all of her heart into everything she does’, that’s right, those had been the man’s words and then what was the last thing...oh yes…’You’ll never break her’, he grinned again as he looked out across the sand. “We’ll see about that.”

How many times could one go back, as long as they kept killing their other selves, how many times could you try to correct the mistakes you’ve made in the past before you went back too far to retain your memories and the desire you once set out to change...so far, he counted one for himself. He had to know, had she talked to the woman herself, or had the woman sent her back in a dream like she had with his weaker self...he needed to know. His entire plan rested on that difference.

Sakura hugged her knees to her chest as she watched Gaara run up and down the playground, his redhead shining in the Suna sun. Her office at the hospital wasn’t finished yet but she still didn’t feel like going through the mounds of paperwork she had brought home with her the other day. 

Rasa had stopped by before she and Gaara had left for the park asking if she wanted plumbing for her greenhouse. Since he told her it was easier to do it all at once she had agreed, it would make her life easier in the long run and would be both less expensive and less trouble to do it now when they were doing the plumbing for her lab.

Megumu told her the merchants from Konoha were expected back in the next few days, the ones Rasa had sent out to gather more information on her, and that she would see if they had any Nara antlers for her. She wondered at the story Rasa had told them to spread about her. It sounded like a fairytale she had to admit...it was rather unbelievable. She knew how people talked and wondered how many embellishments had been added to the truth by now.

Sakura noticed Gaara had stopped moving and was looking somewhere behind her. She turned, wondering what had caught his attention, to find two men looking at her speaking quietly back and forth. 

“Ka San.” Gaara was patting her on her knee bringing her attention back to him.

“Yes baby?” Sakura smiled at the little boy.

“I’m hungry, can we go eat now?” He asked, his eyes darting past her to the men she knew must still be behind her.

“Let’s.” She reached out for him, picking him up in her arms. They left the park making their way leisurely through the side streets of Suna toward her cottage when Gara whispered in her ear.

“They’re following us Ka San.” 

“Hum. I wonder if your father is hungry, shall we go ask him if he would like to eat lunch with us?” Sakura nuzzled him nose to nose making him giggle and nod.

She leapt up onto a nearby roof and ran across the village to the Kazekage’s office with Gaara in her arms. 

“Are they still following us?” She asked him and she jumped down from the municipal building’s roof.

“Not anymore, but they are shinobi. They followed us until there.” Sakura looked to where he pointed, two rooftops away. So, they knew where she was headed and had stopped following her…

“Did you recognize them at all Gaara? Do you know if they are from Suna?” She still wasn’t familiar with most of the Suna residents, unless she had treated them for an injury or illness. Outside of the Kazekage’s family main house she knew almost no one aside from the flavored ice stand proprietor and the dango stand owner. 

Even if she didn’t know them, most of the Suna citizens knew her, or of her connection to the Kazekage at least. People still stared at her when she went to the park and the market but none had bothered Gaara like these men had, which made her think that perhaps they weren’t from Suna.

“I don’t know them. I don’t recognize their chakra signatures.” He said thoughtfully as they entered the Kazekage’s main building and council center.

Sasori was in Rasa’s office when Sakura and Gaara peeked inside. She hadn’t seen him since the night before and was a little wary about seeing him again. She still hadn’t figured out what the little bruise was from.

“How are you feeling dear?” Sasori lifted his head from the scroll he had been reading to gaze at her with those clear amber eyes of his.

“Fine, thank you.” Gaara struggled to get down from her hold and ran to his father’s desk.

Without the boy in her arms they hung limply by her side. “Gaara and I wanted to see if you were free for lunch but I see that you’re busy so we’ll go.” She smiled apologetically at Rasa.

“Lunch?” Rasa mumbled distractedly as he shifted through the papers on his desk, one hand on top of Gaara’s head as the boy smiled up at his father. “With you?” He looked up, his mind still on his paperwork.

Sakura laughed at his blank expression, he looked just like Gaara did, her Gaara, when someone distracted him from his paperwork. 

“Don’t worry about it, go back to your paperwork Kazekage. Gaara and I will find something to eat in the market.” Sakura smiled at the sight of the man’s hand on his son’s head.

“What about the men Ka San?” Gaara chirped at her.

“Men?” Sasori lifted his head from the scroll again to look at her.

Before she could give a vague and harmless answer Gaara chirped up again.

“Two shinobi were watching Ka San in the park and followed us to the office but left when they saw where we were going.” Gaara smiled at his father who looked back at Sakura.

“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Rasa asked, his eyes focused on her now.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal, they left once I came here.” She shrugged.

“Ryu!” Rasa called out loudly for the Anbu he knew followed Sakura when he wasn’t on duty.

“Kazekage Sama.” Ryu bowed low before the Kazekage after jumping in through the window.

“Did you see two men follow Sakura to my office just now?” Rasa asked, the Anbu.

“Yes Kazekage Sama, they arrived in the village yesterday evening and witnessed the fight between Hatake San and Sakura Sama this morning. I do not know what village they are from yet. The papers they gave the gate guards claim civilian and traveling for leisure.” Ryu bowed again indicating he was finished.

“So thorough.” Sasori hummed. “Who asked you to follow Sakura, I don’t recall your name on her observation rooster.”

“I uh.” Ryu began.

“I did.” Rasa looked from Ryu to his brother with a shrug.

Sasori narrowed his eyes at his brother but before he could say anything witty Sakura cleared her throat.

“They didn’t do anything, they were just looking at me.” She protested.

“...and followed you to my office.” Rasa raised his eyebrow at her.

“Well, yeah.” She admitted.

“Ryu, you’re dismissed. I’ll have lunch with Sakura and Gaara.” Sasori rolled the scroll he had been reading up, sealed it and placed it on the corner of Rasa’s desk.

“I want to stay with Oto San.” Gaara smiled up at his father who looked down at him in surprise.

“You do?” Rasa looked around the room as if he weren't sure what to do.

“Is...that okay Oto San?” Gaara looked down at the ground and pleated the fabric of his tunic nervously.

“Uh.” Rasa stammered and looked at Sakura.

“Have fun you two.” She smiled and waved, walking out of the office leaving Rasa with a very happy four year old, before he could disappoint the child with an embarrassed ‘no’.

She had made it halfway down the stairs before Sasori’s hand shot out pulling her closer to him. “I would still like to have lunch with you.” He tucked her arm into his so she couldn’t pull away without making a scene as they stepped out onto the main street.

“Sasori.” She began. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him.

“Shall we go back to your cottage? There are some things I would like to ask you.” 

They walked back to her cottage in relative silence, a word or two about the weather, nothing more.

“Sakura Sama, oh! Forgive me Sasori Sama, good afternoon.” Megumu bowed low to the Kazekage’s brother who seemed to be around her friend more and more lately, much to the girl’s displeasure. She, like everyone else in Suna knew of his reputation for cruelty and blood lust, both on and off the battlefield.

“I’ll start lunch. Have a seat in the living room Sasori, it will just be a moment.” Sakura pulled her arm forcibly from his grasp now that they were indoors and away from prying eyes.

“You have a maid to make us lunch, we will wait in the living room together. I told you, there are things I wish to discuss with you.” He reached out for her arm but she stepped back.

“I will make our lunch, Megumu was not expecting us, it is only fair.” Sakura turned from the man and shooed Megumu into the kitchen before her leaving Sasori to mutter about maids and job duties, insufferable women and stubbornness.

“Sakura Sama, I can make lunch for you, you don’t have to put forth such an effort, Sasori Sama is right, it’s my job.” Megumu pulled rice, onions and leeks from the pantry while Sakura washed her hands at the kitchen basin.

“Please Megumu, I would rather help make lunch than sit out there alone with that man.” Sakura took the leeks from the woman and started cutting them up. 

“Soup?” Sakura asked, realizing she had no idea what Megumu had planned on making.

“If it pleases you.” Megumu smiled at her friend.

“Sounds wonderful.” Sakura smiled at the other woman as they worked.

“So.” The other woman began conversationally. “Is there any particular reason you’re in here and not out there with the Kazekage’s brother hum?”

“Uh.” Sakura blushed.

“Megumu looked up from washing the rice and stared at her friend. “No way…” She said looking at Sakura with wide unbelieving eyes.

“What?” Sakura avoided her friend’s eye.

“Don’t tell me, oh no Sakura Sama…” Megumu whined dramatically. “You have a crush on the Kazekage’s brother?”

“What? No!” Sakura dropped the partially chopped leek to the floor. “He just, it’s hard to explain.” Sakura continued to blush.

“Hard to explain hum? Like how he brought you home in his arms the other night and laid you in your bedroom?” Megumu teased.

“Or how he is always watching you and seems to know where you are at all times?” The girl continued with a knowing look.

“He does?” Sakura looked up from where she was washing the leek that she had dropped on the floor.

“Um hum.” Megumu looked over her shoulder at Sakura. “I think he has a little crush on you too.”

“I do not have a crush on Sasori, he’s just, I mean he is handsome and has really, well…” Sakura trailed off.

“Pretty eyes?” Megumu smiled.

“Yeah.” Sakura scraped the leeks into the pot that had just started to boil on the stove top.

“What about the Kazekage, you’ve had dinner with him a few times now.” Megumu slid the minced onions into the pot and set the rice to cook.

“Rasa is...hard to read.” Sakura admitted. “I don’t think he’s interested in me romantically, but sometimes he...I’m terrible with men. I’ve only ever loved one person and well, he’s gone now so…” Sakura trailed off leaving the comment open.

“So you don’t want a relationship right now? Was it recent then, this love of yours?” Megumu asked, turning to look at the pink haired woman with interest. 

This was the first time they were speaking as real friends, she had learned more about Sakura in the last ten minutes than in the last month.

“Recent enough that I’m not looking for a relationship any time soon.” She smiled at the other woman.

“Well, it still doesn’t hurt to look does it? If you ask me, it seems like all three of the brothers are interested in you.” Megumu winked at her friend.

“No, it doesn’t. I admit, they’re not bad to look at. Although, very different in personality.” Sakura added.

“Which one do you like more?” Megumu asked curiously.

“I couldn’t say really.” Sakura pulled the tea things from the shelves behind her and set the kettle to boil. “I admit, I think I have more in common with Sasori but Rasa is much...easier to be around. Yashamaru is sweet but I think he is just a tease.” 

“Easier to be around? The Kazekage?” Megumu laughed at her friend’s reasoning.

“Yes, I can talk to him easier if not awkwardly. Sasori is...much more challenging. I feel like I have to be much more careful when speaking to him. Like he is analyzing every word I say, cataloging it and waiting for the day he can use it against me or to his own advantage.” Sakura hummed as she placed the small sweetened rice cakes on the tea tray and waited for the tea to boil. ‘Not to mention I’m pretty sure he drugged me the other night’, she mental berated herself for letting that happen.

“But Rasa, reminds me of...the man I left behind, the one I…it’s confusing.” Sakura sighed. 

“It doesn’t matter.” She laughed. “I don’t have time for a relationship. As soon as my lab is done I won’t have time for anything other than the hospital and Gaara.”

Megumu watched the other woman in silence as they finished making lunch together. Not for the first time Megumu reflected on how different Sakura was than any other person she had ever met, man or woman. She wanted almost nothing for herself, thought only of others and paid the avid attention of the Kazekage and his brothers no mind.

“I know you were in love before, we talked about it but, like I said before he isn’t here now, perhaps you can find love again.” Megumu said gently. If anyone deserved to be happy, she thought Sakura did.

“Thank you Megumu, but no one can compare to the man I left behind.” No matter how similar he and his father may be, she just couldn’t bring herself to cross that line.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm stuck...


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone thank Tsukiko for this chapter making it out lol! My fanfic therapist...

Leaving Sakura to her pile of paperwork, Sasori climbed the stairs to Rasa’s office thinking about his conversation with the woman. She didn’t know who or what had sent her back in time, to their time. She didn’t know how or if she could get back to her own time. 

She had become resigned to stay there, with them. He was pleased with her decision of course but his curiosity over her circumstances remained.

To have the power to traverse time, to send someone back without their knowing, without their consent...was dangerous. Who could have the power to do such a thing?

The words of the dog came back to him as he rounded the last corner before his brother’s office. The dog had told him not to get too attached to the woman. Sasori had of course thought he had been threatening her but the man had said no, that he wasn’t threatening her but that ‘she’, would definitely. Sasori didn’t have to ask who ‘she’ was. It could only be the woman from Sakura’s dreams, the one she claimed sent her back.

‘Don’t get attached’, he chuckled to himself. Too late dog, for all of them. He had heard Sakura’s conversation with her maid...try as she might to avoid it, she was attracted to him, to his brother. They both knew it, she knew and yet...she continued to deny it, them...ridiculous.

He paused. Could the woman take her away from them as easily as she had taken her from her other loved ones? What would he do if Sakura just disappeared one day...what could he do? 

“Why won’t you marry her?” Gaara’s little voice could be heard protesting argumentatively as Sasori stood just outside of the Kazekage’s office door.

“It isn’t as simple as that Gaara. Women are...Sakura doesn't love me.” Sasori heard Rasa’s voice trying to explain ‘love’ to his son.

“She loves me but I am four, you marry her, then when I am old enough, I will marry her.” Gaara’s little voice rang happily.

Rasa chuckled at his son’s antics. “That’s not how it works.”

“How does it work then?” Gaara asked his father, confused.

“A good question.” Rasa shook his head amused.

“Am I interrupting?” Sasori strolled into the office, having heard all he had wanted to hear.

“Not at all, just having a bit of conversation with the boy here.” Rasa gestured easily to his son, the remnants of their lunch on the table beside them.

“How was lunch with Sakura?” Rasa asked.

“Adequate, however, she needs to let her maid cook for her. The maid has it far too easy with her helping her prepare meals, talking to her like an equal.” Sasori dropped down into a chair and looked around the office for anything of interest.

“Ka San said Megumu is her friend.” Gaara looked at his Uncle annoyed.

“Maids are not friends, boy, they are servants.” Sasori scolded his nephew who gave him a bland look in return for his efforts.

“Ka San disagrees.” Gaara folded his arms over his small chest as if that statement settled everything.

“Stubborn woman.” Sasori muttered.

“I’ve sent Ryu to track down those two men that followed Sakura earlier.” Rasa said.

Sasori nodded. 

“We have a meeting with the Konoha nin to go over the terms of the Chunin exams in the fall shortly. I’m going to add Sakura as the medic for the exams.”

“I’d like to sit in on that meeting.” Sasori met Rasa’s eye.

“I thought you might, it’s in one hour.” Rasa nodded his understanding. “ Yashamaru will be there as well, as one of our proctors and Baki.”

“I assume you haven’t changed your mind and hold no interest in being one of the proctors for the exam?” Rasa asked his brother with a smirk.

Sasori scoffed. “Of course not.”

“The Daimoy continues to outsource our missions, we need these exams to be a success, to gain the fool's trust back.” Rasa rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “If we could show that we have our own healer, like the Leaf’s medic nin, only better, we might get more missions.”

“I still say we should just assassinate the Daimyo and rid ourselves of his arrogance. We proved we are more than capable in the last war, it is our numbers that worry the man, we lost too many.” Sasori added.

Rasa nodded. “You’re not wrong. We lost far too many.”

“I suspect those men earlier were here because of your foolishness. Word has spread about our little pink haired medic, my spies have confirmed word of her has reached even Kumogakure and peaked the interest of the Raikage.” Sasori drawled.

“The only healer known in our time of that calibre of Tsunade, of course it would peak his interest.” Rasa said.

“...and put a target on her back.” Sasori gave his brother a hard stare.

“She doesn’t leave Suna Sasori, she is well protected, not to mention the woman is more than capable of protecting herself.” Rasa defended himself.

“Like she did this morning?” Sasori asked.

“It was a draw.” 

“It was our fault.” Sasori looked at his brother.

“We didn’t know the whole story.”

“We still don’t.” Sasori pointed out the obvious to his brother. 

“Asking her subtle questions over lunch didn’t work either.” He admitted. “She doesn’t know much.”

“What about the Copy Nin, his double seems to have told him at least more than Sakura has found out on her own.” Rasa suggested. 

He still felt foolish with this entire situation. It was more difficult for him to wrap his head around such things than his brother Sasori, or Yashamaru still thought the woman was a gift from the gods. One was as likely as the other as far as Rasa was concerned.

“I doubt he will tell us anything...but he might tell Sakura.” Sasori considered the possibilities…

“I don’t want him near her, Sasori, not after this morning.” Rasa said sternly.

“There was more to that spar than we could see. I think he was testing her.” Sasori hummed to himself in thought. 

“He was gauging her reaction through force.” Just as he had told her before the night before, you can learn a lot from someone by fighting them.

“Testing her?” Rasa asked.

“To see how far she’d go, her killing intent.” Sasori said vaguely. It was all speculation and they both knew it.

“Hum.” Rasa thought about what his brother was saying. “You might be right. Still, I think it is safe to call it a draw. They knocked one another out after all.”

“She’s pretty amazing isn’t she Sasori?” Rasa looked at his brother with knowing eyes.

Sasori didn’t say anything but turned his head to the door where the Konoha nin had just appeared. 

“Gaara, why don’t you go see if Sakura needs anything.” Rasa waved his son away as the Konoha nin entered his office.

Gaara walked out of his father’s office and disappeared in a whirl of sand, reappearing in Sakura’s cottage a moment later. 

“Ka San.” Gaara sat down beside Sakura on the couch where she was going through the paperwork she had brought home from the hospital.

“Hey there little guy, how was lunch with your father?” She smiled and kissed him on the head as he hugged her.

“It was good.” He smiled up at her. 

“Would you like to help me with this paperwork?” She ruffled his spiky red locks and kissed his nose, pleased lunch had gone well for both of them.

“Okay.” He climbed up onto her lap and they spent the rest of the afternoon sorting, labeling and organizing paperwork together.

“This looks great.” Sakura smiled down at her little helper when they had finished. “Let’s get this stuff back to the hospital.”

Sakura rose to her feet stretching, Gaara beside her mimicking her movements. They gathered up the now organized paperwork into piles and then put them in two separate backpacks. 

“Ready?” She smiled at the little boy who nodded and smiled back.

Sakura filed each bundle of organized paperwork in their pre-labeled section that she had organized the day before the Konoha team had arrived in Suna, then clapped her hands together in satisfaction.

Gaara looked out the window of her office and saw his Uncle Yashamaru leaving the municipal building. “Can I go see Yashamaru, Ka San?”

“Of course you can. I’ll be here for a little bit, it looks like there is more paperwork already and I see that the rest of the file cabinets have arrived.” She motioned to the waiting room by the examination rooms.

“Okies thanks!” Gaara jumped out of the window to her office as she turned to the papers on her desk.

Her office was almost done, it only lacked a door to separate it from the waiting room on one side and her lab on the other. The only room that had a door was the examination room. Slowly but surely the pile of paperwork dwindled as she filed each piece one by one into their proper place. With only two more forms to go a small knock brought her head up to her door less doorway.

“Sakura Sama, we have your new cabinets for the examination room, will it bother you if we install them now?” The two men bowed politely to her.

“Not at all. Thank you very much.” Sakura waved them toward the waiting room door, to the examination room.

When she returned to her office she saw three large boxes of supplies that she had ordered. Rasa had told her to order whatever she needed for herself separate from the main hospital. He had listed her supplies as specialty items. She laughed as she opened the first box.

“Have a good evening Sakura Sama.” The men waved goodbye to her as they left her wing of the hospital after installing her cabinets in her exam room.

Sakura was anxious to get started at the hospital. Playing with Gaara was nice and she enjoyed it but she had missed working. If she couldn’t go on missions, and she didn’t think it wise for her to do so, she wanted to be at the hospital. She picked up two of the boxes and carried them to her exam room to organize her supplies.

When she returned to the room with the third box she realized belatedly that she wasn’t alone anymore. Setting the box down she turned to find Kakashi leaning up against the back wall looking at her with his one eye uncovered, the other hidden under his headband, arms crossed over his chest.

“Settling right in I see.” He said without greeting pushing off the wall, walking over to her and leaning against the counter beside her.

“What the hell do you want Kakashi?” She asked, wary of his close proximity.

“Why did you block my chidori?” He asked her.

“Because I didn’t want it to hit me?” She scoffed and started unpacking her supplies from her boxes, her heart thumping in her chest. ‘What the fuck was he doing here’.

“You could have dodged, or deflected it, you chose to stop it with your chakra infused hands why?” He persisted.

“Does it really matter?” She moved around him on the counter setting things where she wanted them.

“He was wrong about you.” He stepped in front of her stopping her in her tracks.

“Get out of my way.” She said quietly.

“He said you didn’t have it in you to kill me, that’s why he begged me...not to kill you.” He matched the low tone of her voice with his own and moved closer to her, making her back up toward the examination bed.

“Kakashi Sensei would never beg anyone for anything. You lie.” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Do I?” He pulled his mask down and grinned a lopsided grin at her.

How many years had she, Naruto and Sasuke wanted to see his face, had tried to trick him or surprise him into showing them? ...and now here, with this...impostor, she had seen his face twice now and wanted nothing more than to smash it.

“He can’t be dead.” She lifted her chin and stared at his one eye defiantly. He was too close.

Kakashi reached into his pocket and withdrew a headband, holding it up with both of his hands in front of her face so that she could see it clearly. “The Allied shinobi forces headband, right?”

Sakura swallowed. “I lost mine, when I came here, that could be mine, or you could have made one to fool me somehow.” 

Slowly, he stepped forward again coming closer turning the headband over in his hands and lifting it up once more. Sakura gasped at the lettering on the inside of the headband: Third Division Commander- Kakashi Hatake

“No.” She whispered.

“Yes.” He took one of her hands and placed the headband in her palm closing her fingers over the metal with his own.

She had hoped that he had been lying, a trick, a ploy to distract her, a lie to …

The impostor smirked at her silence, taking a lock of her hair and twirling it around his finger. “Something to remember him by.”

She lunged, he dodged. She screamed reaching for her kunai, he laughed deflecting each one.

“Murderer!” Sakura infused chakra to her fists.

“Is it murder if it’s yourself?” He laughed at her again. “Are you any better?”

“What?” She stumbled, stopping in her tracks. “What do you mean am I any better?”

He smiled a lazy smile at her. “What do you think? The you, of this time, she disappeared, why do you think that is?”

“How would I know?” She growled advancing on him.

“You killed her by being here.” He circled her, moving slowly around the room.

Sakura turned, keeping him in her line of sight, keeping pace with him. “I didn’t kill her, me, I would never do something like that.”

“I said you killed her by being here, by existing in a time you already existed in. Your chakra is too strong, your will is too great for the little four year old you that was here in this time and so her spirit faded and returned to you.” He told her. “You snuffed her out, replacing her.”

Sakura stopped moving, her brow furrowing in thought. “There can only be one.”

“Exactly. I guess you are as intelligent as he said you were.” Kakashi continued to smile at her. “He didn’t tell me how attractive you were though.”

“Huh?” Sakura turned too late to dodge.

He twisted her arm behind her back and pinned her to the wall. “I said your old sensei didn’t tell me how attractive you were, but maybe that’s because he never saw you as a woman, being your old sensei.”

“Tell me.” He said conversationally. “What is it like to see your old lover as a little boy?”

“Asshole.” She kicked out, catching his foot, bending backwards to unbalance him.

They fell to the ground grappling for dominance.

“Kakashi!” Tenzo’s voice filled the room. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Vines erupted from the floorboards of the room tangling the dogs arms and legs. Sakura rolled to the side, and to her feet backing away from the thrashing imposter on the ground before her.

“Are you alright?” Tenzo asked her as he sent out two wooden pillars to lock his captain down.

“Yes. Thank you Tenzo San.” Sakura gasped for air, staring at the man on the ground in disgust.

“Sakura!” Rasa and Gaara appeared before her with his Anbu dropping into the room soon after.

“Ka San!” Gaara hugged her legs, backing her up against the wall further away from the Konoha nin on the ground, his father standing in between them and the vines.

“Kazekage Sama, please I apologize, forgive me. I had been watching him since their spar this morning, worried about his behavior. Allow us to take him back to the Leaf to stand trial. He is not himself. We beg your forgiveness.” Tenzo finished wrapping Kakashi up in vines and wooden splints, bowing low before the Kazekage.

“My Anbu will escort him to a holding cell. Your Hokage will be notified. You may leave in the morning.” Rasa nodded to his Anbu who stepped forward and picked up the Copy Nin, leaving with him between them, followed closely by Tenzo and the rest of the Konoha team that had just arrived.

“Sakura, are you alright?” Rasa moved to the woman and took her hands in his.

She had a headband in one of her hands, gripping it tightly, the metal was cutting into the skin of her palm.

“He really did kill him.” She sobbed and fell into Rasa’s arms. “I had hoped...I wanted it to be a lie but it isn’t.”

“I’m sorry Sakura.” Rasa whispered over the top of her head as he hugged her. “Let’s get you home.” He picked her up in his arms, nodded to his son once and jumped out of her office window.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied...I might throw her in with Kakashi a bit...not quite a ship but not...not a ship....

She refused to let go of his headband. She couldn’t let it go. Blood trickled down her wrist as she rocked back and forth on her bed grasping his headband to her chest.

Sasori had come into the room to check on her after he had heard what happened, taken one look at the woman and left again without a word. Rasa had no idea where he was now or what he was doing, and he didn’t know if he even cared.

Megumu knocked softly on the door before opening it and stepping inside. “I brought in a tea tray Kazekage Sama.” Megumu poured the Kazekage a cup of tea and one for Gaara, looking briefly over at the bed where Sakura continued to rock back and forth.

“Thank you Megumu.” Rasa nodded to the maid without looking at her, his eyes on Sakura, worried eyes.

Megumu bowed to the Kazekage, cast one last glance at her friend and left them alone.

Gaara watched his mother cry not knowing what to do. He looked to his father who was sitting on a chair beside her bed, his eyes stern and slightly worried as he looked at her. They had brought her back to the cottage after the Konoha nin had been taken away. 

His father had tried to take the headband from his mother, gently at first, then pulling on it. She had screamed, it had only made her hold onto it that much tighter. So tightly, it was cutting into the palms of her hands. There was blood on her hands, wrists, her clothes and the bedding...but still, she held onto it and hadn’t said a word since he had first tried to take it from her.

“Sakura.” Rasa tried again and called out her name but she didn’t respond.

“Ka San?” Gaara climbed down from his chair and onto the bed beside his mother.

“Ka San.” Gaara said again and reached out for her face. 

She had stopped rocking at the sound of his voice the second time. Little paws held her face and he scooted around in front of her and rested his forehead against hers.

“I love you Ka San.” Gaara kissed her nose and waited.

“Gaara.” Sakura whispered, taking the boy into her arms and hugging him close. She still held her sensei’s headband, but she had stopped crying.

“I love you too Gaara. I miss my Gaara so much. I love you Gaara but I miss your older self right now. I wish somehow I could hold you both but…” She thought of her younger self and froze. No, she didn’t want that either.

“I’m sorry Gaara. I just need you here with me. I love you.” She buried her face in his red hair, let him wrap his little arms around her neck and held him in her lap, Kakashi’s Allied Forces headband still in her hand.

“I’m sorry Rasa.” Sakura looked over the little boy’s head to his father.

“Nothing to be sorry for, but I need to know what happened between you. I will need to write to the Hokage. Is it something I can explain?” She understood what he was asking.

“He gave me this headband as proof that he killed, Kakashi Sensei. I attacked him.” She told Rasa.

“He was backing me into a corner, he touched my hair and...I snapped.” She looked down at the headband in her hand.

“I was provoked but I attacked him first.” She said truthfully.

“I understand.” Rasa said quietly as he continued to watch her. “Watch over your mother Gaara. There are a few things I need to do. Do not leave her side. I will return later for dinner.”

Gaara turned in his mother's lap and nodded at his father. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you Ka San.” Gaara pet Sakura’s hair as his father left her room.

Sasori stood outside of the cell in their Anbu headquarters looking in at the Copy Nin through the one way mirror. His sharingan eye was covered and Sasori wondered if the man knew he was there. He had masked his chakra before coming inside wishing to observe the man before speaking to him.

No doubt Sakura had been provoked, no doubt she had attacked him first and no doubt the man would be let off with a warning from both the Suna council and his own, but for now, he was detained and for now he was being sent home.

Sasori had already spoken with his team mate, Tenzo. Tenzo had admitted Kakashi had been acting a bit odd since their arrival. No, he hadn’t seen what happened, he had come later. They had already attacked one another and he didn’t know who had initiated the first attack.

Sakura wasn’t technically a Suna citizen, this could get very messy, very quickly. Sasori opened the door to the holding chamber and stepped inside.

“Hatake San.” Sasori addressed the man who hadn’t moved, hadn’t twitched when he had opened the door...he had known he was there then.

“Akasuna.” Kakashi’s eye flickered to the door as if expecting someone to join them, but there was no one.

“I’m afraid it’s just me.” Sasori stood in front of the now closed door, his hands behind his back in leisure.

“She will come. It’s in her nature. She will want answers that only I can give her.” Kakashi was confident. He understood her better now, through their contact, they had made a connection whether the woman realized it or not. She would come.

Sasori considered the man’s words. He thought that perhaps he was correct. Sakura would want to speak to him before he left, angry or not, heartbroken or no. She would want answers. “Perhaps.”

Kakashi chuckled. “You know it as well as I. She will.”

Sasori had to be careful. He didn’t know how much this man knew, how much his future self told him or how much Sakura herself had told him about herself and her situation.

“Why provoke her?” Sasori asked.

“It was entertaining. Her eyes grow darker when she’s angry and her little mouth tightens. It’s alluring, don’t you think?” The man barked out loudly, laughing at his own words.

“You, desire her?” Sasori didn’t like where this conversation was going.

Kakashi shrugged. “That’s not why I did it, but I do find her quite attractive. Much like you and your brothers..” He admitted.

“She knows things that I want to know, things my other half refused to tell me.” Kakashi said, leaning easily against the wall.

“Then why piss her off. Surely you must have known giving her her sensei’s headband, that you killed, would have riled her up.” Sasori said condescending.

“Of course I did. I also thought by giving it to her she might cooperate with me. Give something to get something and all that.” Kakashi waved his hand in a bored off hand sort of manner.

“She attacked me first.” Kakashi smiled.

“You have no witnesses.” Sasori raised an eyebrow at the man.

“I don’t need them do I? She isn’t a Suna citizen and you have no grounds to hold me. I’m here because I’m a nice guy.” Kakashi grinned and raised an eyebrow of his own at the Puppet Master. “I know this, my team knows this and I am sure the Kazekage knows this, which is why I’m not being tortured right now...and you know it, which is why I’m not dead.” 

Sasori ground his teeth. The man was correct and he could feel Rasa moving their way to release him as they spoke. “She wants answers, you are correct, but I will not allow her to speak with you alone.”

“Pity, then she won’t get what she wants from me. If I speak, it will be with her, alone.” Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets and looked over Sasori’s shoulder. “Good Evening Kazekage Sama. Beautiful night we’re having no?”

Rasa’s jaw tightened as he looked at the man before them. “As I am sure you know, we can not detain you any further. My Anbu, who was watching you as visiting Konoha shinobi, will be doubled. We will conclude our negotiations for the Chunin exams tomorrow and you will leave my village the following day. I have already received word back from The Third Hokage, who has been informed of your disagreement with our Head Medic and the adopted mother to my youngest son. I have your revised mission scroll here, signed by your Hokage.” Rasa tossed the scroll to the Copy Nin and turned to leave.

“I want to talk to her.” Kakashi called out to the Kazekage before he could leave.

Rasa turned back to look at the man, then his brother who gave him a slight jerk of the head. “I will ask her if she would like to speak with you.”

“Alone. Just her, no babysitters.” Kakashi grinned at the red that was creeping up the Kazekage’s neck as they looked at one another.

Rasa turned without granting the man a response and left the room followed by Sasori. The other Konoha shinobi were waiting outside the door to collect their comrade, bowing low before the Kazekage and his brother as they passed.

“Are you going to ask her?” Sasori asked Rasa as they walked to Sakura’s cottage together.

“Not tonight but yes, it is her right. He has information she wants, I can not in good conscience keep that from her.” Rasa said not at all pleased with their situation.

“What did you write the Hokage?” Sasori asked.

“An argument that got out of hand escalating so far as to draw the attention of both parties associates and warranted a forced separation.” Rasa replied.

Sasori nodded. “Does she still hold the headband to bleeding?”

“She was holding Gaara when I left.” Rasa opened the gate to the cottage’s garden stepping inside and to the door.

Sasori and Rasa entered the small cottage without knocking and walked to Sakura’s bedroom. She was still on the bed, Gaara still in her arms, her sensei’s headband by her side, just barely touching her fingers. She was asleep.

“How is she Gaara?” Rasa asked his son quietly.

“She stopped crying and is asleep now.” Gaara looked up at his father from where he was curled up in his mother’s arms. “I don’t want her to be alone tonight.”

“We’ll take her back to the main house with us, she can sleep in the guest room. I don’t think she should be alone until the Konoha nin leave Suna.” Rasa picked Sakura up in his arms, bloody clothes and all.

Gaara picked the headband up from the bed and hopped down to stand beside his father.

“I’ll have Megumu bring some of her things over.” Sasori left the bedroom to find the maid and Gaara and his father carried Sakura to the main house.

Tenzo, Genma and Itachi sat around the living room of the guest lodgings they had been provided, each looking off in a different direction, each avoiding Kakashi’s eye.

Tenzo cleared his throat and opened his mouth first.

“Don’t. Whatever you have to say to me, save it.” Kakashi growled.

His ‘meeting’ with the woman hadn’t gone the way he had planned in his head. He hadn’t meant to provoke her, he hadn’t planned on getting her so upset that she couldn’t be reasoned with. It wasn’t like him, and he...didn’t understand why he had been so careless, particularly with something so important. Tenzo meant well, they all did but he didn’t need their well-meant prattle.

Itachi watched the interactions that could be seen around him, as well as the ones ebbing and flowing underneath the surface. Something had changed in Kakashi Hatake and not since they had arrived in Suna and met the mysterious pink haired woman as Tenzo claimed, no...it had started years ago, four if he were to measure the time.

Two years. Itachi had been in Konoha’s elite Anbu for two years when he had first started to notice the changes in his captain. They had been on a mission in The Land of Snow when his captain had started taking the entire watch for the night, every other night. At first, Itachi hadn’t meant to spy on his captain. It was his habit to send a summons, one crow out, every night as a second set of eyes in a foreign land, a precaution he hadn’t bothered to mention to the others. On the second night, his summons had come back to him, reporting two Hatake’s.

Itachi had never mentioned the strange occurrence to anyone, least of all Kakashi himself. It wasn’t a clone, his summons was sure. It wasn’t a jutsu he had ruled that much out himself. Hatake was not a sensor nin, he hadn’t seen Itachi in the shadows, hadn’t known Itachi had heard...everything the other Hatake had told him, and what he had told the other Hatake.

It had been none of Itachi’s business, no harm had been done, except to the man’s other self and Itachi hadn’t considered it murder...killing yourself. Until Itachi had noticed the slight changes in the man, he hadn’t given it much thought. That’s when the man had begun to change…

No more was the lazy roving eye of the white wolf present, but replaced by a watchfulness that was eerie in it’s own stillness. Gone was the light laughter, fake as it had been, to be replaced by something darker, heavier in a not quite placeable violent disposition. 

The night Hatake had killed his other self, he had changed.

“I’m going to retire for the evening. Goodnight.” Itachi rose and walked calmly across the room, to the bathroom, and shut the door behind him to prepare for bed.

Kakashi’s eyes flickered to the door, remained on the closed surface of the smooth wooden panel, then dropped back down to the blood on his hands. He could still smell her on his skin, her blood on her hands from where she had gripped the headband of ‘that man’, to bleeding. A low sultry growl escaped his lips earning him a guarded looked from his two remaining comrades.

“Kakashi.” Tenzo tried once more.

“I said save it Tenzo. I have no interest in anything you have to say. I know what I was doing.” Kakashi pushed off from the wall he had been leaning against and moved to his bed, pulled a small book from his pocket and pretended to read...ignoring the room.

Genma and Tenzo shared a look. ‘Pointless’, they said to one another without saying. Tenzo sighed as Itachi came out of the bathroom and settled into his bed, turning his back on the rest of the room.

“My turn I guess.” Tenzo shut the bathroom door behind him leaving Genma to look out the round window of their borrowed lodgings alone.

Megumu wiped Sakura's face with a warm washcloth, her hands and her wrists. Twice she had rinsed the rust colored water from the bowl. Twice she had reassured Gaara his mother would be fine even though she herself was not convinced.

She didn’t know much about her friend’s past, she had thought the woman had amnesia, but it was clear to Megumu that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t her place to say otherwise and if the Kazekage and his brother by blood didn’t force an issue with it, she wouldn’t of course. She was just a maid. A maid who had come to care very much for her friend and charge.

Megumu didn’t know what had happened, only that the Konoha nin were involved in some way. She had seen the headband in her friend’s grasp and had washed around it, gently, carefully. Sakura had tried to smile, but no love came out of her eyes, only tears. Tucking a lock of hair behind Sakura’s ear Megumu picked up her hair brush, intending to brush her hair for bed but Sasori Sama had stopped her.

“Go find your bed. My brother and I will attend her.” He said.

“Yes Sasori Sama. Goodnight.” Megumu left her friend in the capable hands of the Puppet Master and the Kazekage.

Sasori picked the brush up where the maid had left it, sat down on the bed and pulled Sakura around gently so that she was facing away from him, toward Rasa. Gaara, his ever present little frame was curled up at her side, his head in her lap. Sasori began to brush her hair with slow calming strokes.

When he finished he eased her back up against the many pillows, and lifted Gaara up into his arms, nodded to his brother and left the room, shutting the door with a quick flick of his chakra strings.

“I’m sorry Rasa.” Her voice was broken when she spoke, her eyes tired.

Rasa leaned forward in his seat beside her bed and shook his head mutely. She had nothing to be sorry for. The events of the last seventy two hours were almost a blur. So much had happened in such a small amount of time, his brain was working hard to catch up. He assumed it was the same for his brother Sasori, which is why the man had left. Sasori preferred to parsec and analyze in solitude.

“What can I do?” He asked her, not knowing what else to say, what else to offer her...wanting to do something.

“If it’s not too much trouble, can you...just sit with me for a bit so I’m not alone?” She turned her head to his.

Her eyes were open and searching, not quite a plea but the need was there, he could see it clearly, she needed him...someone...and he was there.

“I will stay with you as long as you need me.” Rasa covered her one small available hand with his own large hand.

“Thank you.” She exhaled and closed her eyes. “Your hand is warm.”

Rasa wasn’t sure if it was a comment, a compliment or a complaint, he nodded, even though she wouldn’t see it with her eyes closed and waited for her to say more if that was her will. The minutes ticked by without a sound, he dropped his head to his chest, chin resting against the fabric of his shirt, his hand still over hers.

“His hands were always warm. My Gaara’s, so warm, he was the Desert to me but now, when I look out across the sand...all I see is you.” 

Rasa’s head jerked up to meet her eyes but they were still closed. He looked to see if she would say more, hoping for...direction, guidance...what did that mean? She was still however, not even a twitch of a brow, just the slow steady rise and fall of her chest...claiming life.

‘...all I see is you.’ Rasa swallowed, afraid to move.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Mei Allowed

It was dark when Sakura opened her eyes. Her head felt like it was floating above her body and she groaned. A quick pull on her hand told her she wasn’t alone. She turned her head and saw the outline of a man. 

“Rasa.” His name fell between them from her lips.

“Sakura, are you…” What could he say that didn’t sound false…”Are you feeling better?”

“Better...I don’t know. I’m not feeling worse.” Her tone held no humor, only truth.

Sakura lifted her hand that held Kakashi’s headband in it, bringing it to her nose and smelling it briefly. “It doesn’t even smell like him anymore.” She set it down on the bed beside her, fingers tracing the kanji on the front.

“I had one like this, all of us in the Allied forces had one. It was the end of the world, all of the Five great nations and the Samurai of Iron, united against one terrible foe.” She picked the headband up again and set it on the nightstand beside the bed.

“It’s like a dream, or a nightmare now. Like…” Her voice trailed off.

Rasa wasn’t good with words, he was even less articulate than his brother Sasori. Yashamaru was the talker, the soother, the caretaker...but he was on patrol.

Sakura turned her head again to look at the headband she had placed on the nightstand, then turned her head to look at Rasa, her hand still in his. 

“I don’t want to live in the past. I loved him, your son, but he will not grow up to be the man I knew, he’s different already, I can see it.” She sighed.

“You are not the man I thought you were, the man he described. Perception, such a strange thing.” She said pensively, her eyes searching his.

“You’re a lot more alike than either of you think, then man, the child.” She smiled.

“I never loved my wife.” Rasa blurted out, then reddened slightly realizing how horrible his words must sound to her.

“I mean, I have never been in love like you so obviously were in love with my son, of your generation.” He quickly amended. “I envy you, both.”

“I thought I was in love once, before Gaara, but I wasn’t. It was a lie, a foolish girl’s fantasy. Gaara, he showed me what true love was, because he had never had it before, he never held back, he gave me his all, and I gave everything to him. We taught one another, what real love was. It was...terrifying.” She laughed.

“Yes...terrifying.” Rasa murmured.

Sakura’s stomach rumbled and she blushed. “Did I miss dinner?” She laughed in embarrassment.

“Yes, but so did I. I will go to the kitchens and see if Kenta left us anything to heat up.” Rasa let go of her hand with a squeeze.

“I’ll go with you Rasa.” She threw her feet over the side of the bed and made to stand but stumbled.

Rasa shot his arm out around her waist and caught her before she could fall back onto the bed. Megumu had changed her into her light sleepwear and the top had ridden up her waist when she had moved to get out of bed. Rasa’s hand rested against the soft skin of her back, her body heat seeping into his fingers and warming his arm.

“Ah.” He almost let go of her, but instead, drew her near, wrapping his other arm around her waist.

“Rasa?” Sakura looked up to see him looking down at her, his eyes soft and...calculating.

“Do you truly see only me, when you look out across the sand, when you look at the desert now, do you see my son as he was in your time or is it me now?” He asked her boldly, wanting...confirmation to know he hadn’t misunderstood, hadn’t been dreaming.

Sakura blushed. “I didn’t know I said that out loud.” She muttered.

“Did you mean it?” He tipped her head back with the back of his hand under her chin, waiting.

“Yes.” 

He had never seen her look so vulnerable, not even when she had been crying and holding her old sensei’s headband to her bloody chest. Rasa stared at her and she held his gaze. Neither looked away, only at one another.

“I don’t know if I know how to love someone.” He told her truthfully.

“I have loved before, you will not have been my only one. I won’t deny that part of me is still in love with the man I knew, how can I not be...” She replied with her own truth.

“I would like to try... to love you.” He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers breathing out.

“I want to love again.” Carefully she moved her body closer to his, his arms loosened their hold so his hands could slide up her back, his fingers splayed over her bare skin pulling her into his kiss...she inhaled, drawing her breath from his lungs.

“I don’t want to rush this.” He drew back from their kiss with great reluctance.

“Did you think I was going to be easy?” She quirked an eyebrow at him in inquiry, then smiled at his horrified expression. “I’m teasing you Rasa. Laugh.”

He merely nodded. 

“You said something about food?” She prompted.

“Yes.” He smiled.

Sasori backed away from the crack in the door to the guest room before his brother and the pink haired medic opened the door and caught him spying on them. Taking a quick turn to the left he followed the hallway down to his own suite of rooms and closed his door.

“Ah. Good morning Sakura.” Rasa moved his palm gently back and forth over her arm that she had slung across his chest in her sleep.

They had returned to her room after eating the night before. Rasa had fully intended on tucking her in, giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek, then returning to his own rooms, but she had pulled him into bed with her, and they had fallen asleep as they were now.

“Good morning Rasa.” Sakura blushed prettily looking away as he tried very hard not to smile like a Genin.

“Ka San!” Gaara burst through the bedroom door and froze. “What are you doing with my mom!”

Megumu rushed into the room when she heard Gaara yell and also froze at the sight of the Kazekage and her friend in bed together, obviously having just woken up...albeit clothed and slightly disheveled.

Sakura opened her mouth but shut it abruptly as Sasori and Yashamaru walked into the now very crowded room.

“Still clothed I see.” Sasori drawled, looking bored. “I know it’s been some time since you’ve had a woman in your bed or...been in a woman’s bed Rasa but you’re supposed to take your clothes off when you bed her for the first time.”

Sakura’s face went any number shades of red. “Get out.” She sat up in bed, drawing the sheets around her chest, even if she was still clothed.

“Out!” She pointed at Sasori who smirked.

“If you find you need a man who actually knows what he’s doing my dear, I’m right down the hall.” Sasori strolled out of the bedroom without a backward glance, his fingers twitched against his leg as he walked.

Gaara, nothing daunted by the grownup talk, ran and jumped up onto the bed inserting himself between his father and his adopted mother with a pointed stare at his father.

“We didn’t do anything Gaara, we only fell asleep.” He paused. 

“Why am I justifying myself to you?” Rasa realized what he was saying and looked down at the boy.

“I said marry her not sleep with her.” Gaara pouted, his arms across his chest. “I want to sleep with her.”

Yashamaru, who had refrained from voicing his own opinion, choked and covered his mouth to keep himself from laughing. “I heard what happened yesterday Sakura, I’m glad that my brother found a way to...comfort you.” He grinned.

“Out!” Sakura pointed to the door like she had done with Sasori.

“Okay okay.” Yashamaru held his hands up before him in his defense and laughed loudly as he left the room.

“I’ll um, make some breakfast.” Megumu bowed low blushing, and left Gaara, Rasa and Sakura on the bed together.

Sakura sighed and settled back into the pillows, Gaara’s red spikes tickling her nose as he rubbed his head against her cheek, turning his back to his father and draping himself over her chest. Rasa patted his son on the back and smiled.

“You don’t have to worry Gaara. I’m not going to take your mother from you, but I would like to spend more time with her. If she’ll let me?” Rasa asked, Sakura who nodded and smiled.

“I would like that.” She kissed the top of Gaara’s head, one hand reaching out to Rasa’s cheek.

“I have some things to take care of this morning, from last night but I would like to see you for lunch.” Rasa rose from the bed in the clothes he had worn the day before and waited for her reply.

“It’s a date.” Sakura smiled again. 

Gaara turned in her arms to peek at his father. “Can I come too?” He asked.

“Yes.” Rasa looked down at his son...he didn’t think he would be able to stop him if he had told him no.

“Let your mother get dressed right now, go see Megumu in the kitchens, Sakura will be down soon.” Rasa patted the boy on the head and waited for him to leave before speaking again.

“Hatake wants to speak to you again before he leaves, alone. Sasori said you would want to speak to him and I don’t doubt you have questions for the man...but it makes me uneasy. The choice is yours.” Rasa took her hand and squeezed it gently.

“I have questions, but I don’t know if he can answer them, if anyone can.” She said hesitantly. “It would be foolish not to speak with him, to see what he knows.”

Rasa nodded. “I will arrange it then. Sasori and I will be right on the other side of the door, if you need us. I’m sure his Anbu team will wish to be there as well.”

“I’m sure.” 

“I’ll send word or come find you myself when it’s time.” He bent his head and kissed her cheek with a quick smile and walked out of the room without looking back.

Sakura touched her cheek, turned and looked at the Allied shinobi forces headband on the nightstand, picked it up and turned it over in her hand reading the lettering on the back. ‘He would understand wouldn’t he?’, she asked herself. ‘Would Gaara?’, she wondered…’Will he when he gets older?’ She tied the headband around her waist like Ino used to have hers and walked into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

“I knew you’d come.” His hands were in his pockets, his back up against the wall, his one visible eye watched her walk into the room and close the door behind her. They were alone, as he had requested.

“They’re watching us aren’t they?” He nodded to the left where the two way mirror reflected their likenesses.

She nodded, not speaking, not trusting her voice.

“I didn’t give you his headband to hurt you, but it was unavoidable. I needed you to trust me.” He continued to talk, letting her adjust to his presence, grateful she had come at all.

“Trust you?” Her voice shook with emotion...anger, disbelief.

“Yes. Think about it Sakura, why would I seek you out, tell you I killed him, me, a man you loved and trusted, why would I do that?” He asked her.

“The hell if I know! You’re sadistic? You’re insane? You’re a fucking asshole? Pick one!” She threw her hands up in the air.

Sasori watched the Copy Nin carefully, there was something going on here, something that only they, the two in the room would understand. He couldn’t put his finger on it, he couldn’t quite call it out, find the name for it but it was there and he could tell he wasn’t the only one who sensed it. Sasori’s eyes flickered to the Uchiha that stood a shoulder’s length away, eyes calm, intent...knowing.

“I’m not insane.” He pulled his hands from his pockets and she backed up against the wall quickly.

“Are you frightened of me Sa ku ra?” He teased her with a smirk she couldn’t see.

“Why kill him?” She ignored his question.

“I already told you why. Why stay in Suna, why not go to Konoha?” He asked stepping forward, his hands at his sides.

“They found me in the desert.” She was telling him things he already knew, she knew it, he knew it...she waited for him to give himself away.

“Is it the boy, the child like lover, is that why you stayed?” He asked, one more step toward her and they would be too close.

Sakura refused to move, she would not let him manipulate her. “Is that it? You’re bent out of shape because I stayed in Suna?”

His finger twitched against the side of his leg. She narrowed her eyes at him, that was it, he was upset she had stayed in Suna, why…

“I know you, not as well as I knew my sensei but I know you. You have tells that only someone who has spent a great deal of time with you would know. I have the advantage here, not you, so stop trying to push me up against a wall!” She glared at him.

He was fast. So fast.

Messy white hair tickled her cheek as he whispered in her ear, his body flush with hers, pinning her against the wall. “Trying?”

Rasa moved to the door but was stopped by his brother.

“Rasa.” Sasori pointed to where Sakura was pinned to the wall by the dog, her hand was waving slowly, telling them to stop, to wait, to let her handle this.

“Damn it.” Rasa growled under his breath.

“She’s clever.” Itachi said quietly.

Sasori looked over at the Uchiha. “Of course she is, do you think we would keep her around if she were otherwise.” ‘He knows’, Sasori hummed his interest to himself and continued to watch the room with the others.

“The one manipulating here, is her.” Itachi mumbled.

Rasa stepped back up beside his brother and frowned.

“Your war is over. Why not go home?” He continued to press his body against hers, whispering in her ear.

‘The war was over?’, she swallowed. “I already know that, I don’t want to go back.” She growled and struggled against him...just enough to please him.

There were things she needed to know and he was going to tell her, whether he wanted to or not. Shifting her feet, she compromised her position by pulling her hand from in between their bodies as if to strike him with a chakra infused fist. He grabbed her hand and pinned it to the wall beside her head...like she knew he would do, like he had done so many times when they had spared together...in her time.

“Don’t try it.” He growled in her ear.

Sakura had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling and giving herself away. Hitching her breath on purpose she trembled against him. She could feel his lips behind his mask move into a fevered smile...he thought he was winning.

“You know how to go back don’t you.” His breath was hot against her ear.

Slowly, his free hand reached up and pulled his mask down from his face that was buried in her hair, his face hidden to the men in the other room.

“Tell me how.” His lips weren’t a surprise, she had felt his whole body shift and had known it was coming but...his tongue, as it shot out of his mouth and over her ear lobe...was.

Sakura began to squirm in earnest now, her breath truly short and agitated. She had taken it too far. She had assumed he had more self control…

Sharp teeth bit her neck and she stilled against him. “We don’t have to fight Sakura, we can...play with one another instead.” 

His hand left her wrist, both hands grabbed her head by her hair, yanking it back and turning it to the side exposing her neck to his mouth where he lay open kisses along her jaw.

“I’m not watching anymore of this!” Rasa’s golden sand broke through the window in front of them, dragged Kakashi from Sakura, knocked him up against the adjacent wall and to the floor.

“Wait!” Sakura ran in front of Kakashi to protect him from Rasa. “There’s still more I need to know that only he can tell me, wait Rasa please.”

“You expect me, the Kazekage to stand here and watch while he, he…” Rasa was angry, he was insulted and he wasn’t used to feeling so...so...jealous.

“Our negotiations are over. Any further negotiations can be done via missive or summons.” Rasa straightened up to his full height as he addressed the other Konoha nin. “I will see you again in the Fall, until then...I don’t want to see you in my village.”

Tenzo bowed low, picked Kakashi up off the ground and walked out of the room with the rest of his team.

“Sorry.” Genma bowed again at the door, his eyes on Sakura.


	29. Chapter 29

“What were you thinking acting like that, with a man like that?” Rasa’s fingers ran through his hair as he paced back and forth in front of Sakura and his brother in the main house’s sitting room after the Konoha nin had left the village. She had deliberately put herself in danger for something he considered trivial. She had already made up her mind and had decided to stay, what more was there to think about?

“Rasa calm down. She needed information. She used the best tactic for the situation.” Sasori watched his brother with interest, he had never seen the man so agitated before.

Sakura ignored Rasa’s rant to analyze her own thoughts. “He said the war was over.” She looked down at the headband she had tied around her waist. That’s all he had said though. Maybe he hadn’t known more than that, Kakashi probably didn’t see the point in going into detail with his other self, he had been looking for her, or had wanted him to relay a message to her when he saw her, when she came…

Who had made it, who was dead and who was alive...did it matter, now? Here? It did, to her...

“He thinks I know how to get back to my time, but I don't’...he wants...to go ahead to the future to my time, but why would he want that?” She frowned.

Rasa didn’t like the pensive look on her face. She couldn’t go back, she didn’t know how...this was all just speculation and a waste of time...he didn’t want to think of the possibility of her leaving, not now, especially not now...

“Maybe it isn’t so much forward but back that he wants to go.” Sasori picked at his sleeve while he thought about the situation. “He knows you went back. Perhaps he thinks you can only go back.”

“To right a wrong perhaps?” He speculated, ignoring his brother’s angry look. Rasa had spent the night and the morning bonding with the woman, it was his turn now and he wasn’t going to give it up to please anyone, but himself.

“Obito...Rin…” Sakura slammed her fst into her other palm. “Sasori , you’re a genius, that’s it he wants to go back and save his old teammates!” She smiled at the Puppet Master who shrugged.

“His old teammates?” Rasa asked.

“Yes, they died, well, one died but, it’s a long story, the point is I figured out what he wants, that’s the most important thing here. I don’t know how to get back, but he doesn’t know that. He’s gone now but he’ll be back.” She murmured as if to herself.

Sasori and Rasa shared a look.

“He won’t be back until the Fall, and we will have extra security, not only for the Chunin exams but for the visiting spectators as well.” Rasa assured her in case she was worried.

She didn’t seem worried, she seemed...determined, and that, in turn made him worry.

“Well in any case you have a lot to do today don’t you?” Sasori rose from his seat and set him cup down on the coffee table.

“Oh? Oh yes.” Sakura smiled.

“I’ll meet you by the garden gate and we can go to the hospital together. Your lab will be done in two days but your office is complete, as is your file room and your private examination room.” Rasa smiled at the excited look in her eye.

“Great!” Sakura set her own cup down and left the room for her cottage.

“Are you sure you want to do that dear?” Sasori leaned over her shoulder as she cut the shinobi’s foot off at the ankle with a chakra blade and pushed it off the other side of the table giving her room to work.

Thump.

“Yes, go away you’re bothering me.” She snapped at him , making the other doctors and nurses in the room flinch and their eyes go wide in horror. No one talked to Sasori Sama like that and lived...

Sasori chuckled. “As you wish.”

Their eyes widened further in disbelief, eyes darting back and forth between the Kazekage’s brother and the woman who was in the process of stemming the flow of blood from the ankle she had just hacked off.

Sakura’s chakra flickered and her blade disappeared only to reappear as a solid coating over her delicate hands. 

“Hold him.” She ordered the two closest nurses who immediately complied, one grabbing each of the shinobi’s arms.

Slowly she began to form bone, tissue and muscles, ligaments, cartilage and blood back into the semblance of an ankle. The doctors and nurses watched in awe as the woman mended what they believed could not be mended, replaced, what they had thought was irreplaceable...Two hours later, she was done.

A rag and a gentle hand wiped the perspiration from her forehead. Sakura turned to smile her thanks to Sasori who had stayed and watched, but had kept back and away like she had asked him to.

“You really are something aren’t you.” He looked at her with an odd expression on his face. Something between regret and longing.

It was the third operation she had completed since her arrival that morning and she was sure it wouldn’t be her last.

“I’ll need to rest a bit before the next surgery.”, she apologized to the two doctors that had assisted her and the two nurses who stood behind them. 

“This ankle took a lot more out of me than I had expected.” She explained.

Sakura looked at them expectantly but when no one said anything she bit her bottom lip nervously. “What’s wrong?” She asked unsure what their silence ment.

Sasori chuckled again.

“Ah, nothing Sakura Sama, it’s only, we didn’t bring him to you to mend, but to amputate.” One of the doctors explained.

“Amputate? Why?” She was confused, then horrified when she realized what they had said and what it had ment.

“You mean, you...wouldn’t have healed him, you would have disabled him for the rest of his life ending his career?” She was shocked and disgusted.

“Well, yes. No one knows how to do...what you just did. His ankle was crushed, we would have had to amputate it to save his life.” The other doctor explained.

“That’s, that’s…” Sakura didn’t know what to say.

“That’s how things were done...before you came.” Sasori chuckled again, placing his hand on her shoulder and steering her out of the room.

“No more!” Sakura yelled over her shoulder as Sasori led her to her office at the other end of the hospital. “Don’t do that anymore, you come get me next time!” 

They bowed and then looked at one another as she disappeared around the corner with Sasori Sama.

“Where the hell did she learn how to do that?” One doctor looked at the other, running his fingers lightly over the newly formed pink ankle of the still sleeping shinobi on the operating table.

“I don’t know, but I’m glad she’s here and on our side. Did you hear, she punched…” Their voices trailed off as they left the operating room. 

The two nurses laughed to themselves after the doctors had left. 

“...and to think, she’s a woman.” One nurse said to the other.

“I want to learn how to do that, I hope she will teach not only the doctors but us as well, maybe we can become doctors now that she is here?” The second nurse asked the other hopefully.

Women weren’t allowed to become doctors in Suna. Before Sakura had arrived, it was just how it had always been. Aside from a rare case like Lady Chiyo, who was a poison’s specialist and not a doctor, most women were mere nurses and nothing more. However, with Sakura here, many of the nurses hoped that would change, and soon.

Sakura crunched down on her last soldier pill. She wondered if Megumu had gone to the market yet. The merchants that had gone to Konoha had been expected back yesterday but with everything that had happened Sakura had forgotten to see if Megumu had gotten any Nara antlers for her.

She closed her eyes as her chakra pools began to slowly refill themselves and sighed a sigh of relief. Sasori watched her from one of the chairs facing her desk in her new office.

“You need a plant for your office.” He said as he tore his eyes from the woman before him and looked around.

There were two windows facing the desert, and one looking into her lab on the other wall. The two facing the desert had ledges on the inside and out, wide enough for plants and he wondered if Rasa had asked the builders to do that intentionally. Either way, it would be a nice place for some potted plants.

“I’ll go to my greenhouse and see if there is anything low maintenance to fill that empty ledge my dear.” He rose to his feet with a quick nod and left her alone in her office. Sakura nodded a bit surprised he would think of such a thing, but pleased to see what he would come back with.

This morning had been a bit touch and go, with everyone stopping in to get a look at the pink haired medic nin, the female pink haired medic nin that had supposedly stolen the Kazekage’s heart, could punch craters into the ground, had earned the respect of the infamous Akasuna no Sasori and control of the one tailed beast inside of their youngest little lord.

Most spoke to her with respect, some gave her odd looks, but it had gone better than she had thought, smoother than it had in her own time and she wondered at the difference. “Shock value.” She muttered to herself, rose and looked out her office window into the desert.

A small whirl of sand drew her attention from the window, she turned to find Gaara sitting on the edge of her desk smiling at her, a basket in his hands.

“Hey little guy. What’s this?” She kissed him on the head and took the basket he held out to her.

“Megumu said you would forget to eat lunch so she made some rice balls and asked me to bring them to you.” He smiled at her.

“Aww, she is so thoughtful and so are you my little tanuki container.” She giggled as he nudged her nose with his own and kissed her cheeks.

“Are you hungry?” She asked him as she opened the basket, there was enough or two.

Gaara nodded and slid into one of her desk chairs looking at her expectantly.

Sakura laughed and set two of the rice balls down in front of him on a napkin Megumu had packed into the basket and took two for herself sitting down across from him. “This is nice, thanks for bringing me lunch.”

Gaara smiled at her around a mouthful of rice and kicked his feet back and forth as they ate.

Sasori returned with several potted plants after Gaara left with his now empty basket, and set them on her desk for her perusal.

“This one is aloe, but of course you know that, this one is a Ratameuki plant, poisonous but very hardy and lastly, a Uhumo plant, it flowers, but let’s off a very alluring smell that causes brain damage.” Sasori pushed each plant toward her with a small smile.

“Uh no brain damage plants, thank you very much.” She pushed the Uhumo plant back toward him with a look of distaste.

“I’ll take the other two though with thanks.” Sakura smiled down at the aloe plant and the wide leafed Ratameuki plant.

Sasori watched her open the window and set the two plants outside side by side. He followed her into her nearly completed lab as she filled a large pitcher of water to water her new plants.

“There you go guys. I’m going to name you Rufu and you will be…” Sakura pursed her lips as she looked at the aloe plant. “Veronica!”

“You’re naming them? They aren’t pets dear, they’re plants.” Sasori rolled his eyes at her idiocy.

“Pet plants.” Sakura smiled at him. “I used to have a plant named Yuki, but it died. I think I forgot to water it.” She tapped her finger nail against her front teeth in thought.

“It’s a good thing Rasa installed an automatic timed watering system in your greenhouse then.” Sasori muttered as he walked into her lab to inspect her supplies, making a mental note to check on Rufu and Veronica for her at least once a week to ensure their survival. 

“You seem to be missing quite a few things.” He pulled a notepad from one of his sleeves and a pen from the other and started making notes.

“I didn’t give Rasa a list of equipment yet, only basic supplies.” She followed him around her lab peering over his shoulder at the list he was making. 

“I don’t need all of that.” She complained and pointed to the last item he had written down. but he ignored her, marking down several more items as he walked away from her.

Sakura opened her mouth to complain again but was interrupted by three workmen that had come to finish her greenhouse and to put the doors that had just arrived in her lab and office interior.

“Let’s go to my greenhouse while they work, Sakura dear. I have a few things for your stores you will need and a few other items of interest I think you would like.” Sasori took her hand and slipped it through his arm, tucking the notepad back into his sleeve as they left the men to complete their work.

“This side of the greenhouse, no doubt you’ve noticed, from when you were here before, are all of the poisonous plants and fungi.” He waved his hand to the right side of the greenhouse and she nodded, she remembered discovering that when she had made Yashamaru’s antidote.

“This is the medicinal and curing side of the greenhouse, that small strip in the back contains the plants, roots and other fungi that are crossovers, can be used for both.” Sasori told her pleasantly.

“I would like you to show me how you found an antidote to my poison that should have rid me of that nuisance Yashamaru.” 

“Well, I already knew it from when I saved Kankuro in my time but basically I went in reverse.” She explained.

“Reverse, that doesn’t make sense.” He crossed his arms over his chest then paused considering her words. “Unless…”

She smiled. “Exactly. I made your poison.” She pulled out a small vial of dark purple poison from her waist.

“This really is quite remarkable. You know, you’re even more talented than I had originally thought you were in my own time Sasori.” She hummed as she turned the vial over in her hand, her fingers caressing the side gently as she chose her next words carefully.

“I had...wanted to talk to you after...after you were gone. I was so disappointed that I wasn’t able to speak with you and ask you my questions but, you were so dangerous and so terrifying...fighting you was the hardest thing I had ever done.” She admitted without shame.

An unfamiliar warmth enveloped him. His cheeks flushed and he turned away from her quickly so she wouldn’t notice. “Yes well, sometimes fighting does that you know.” He said offhandedly waving her compliment away.

“No.” She touched his arm drawing his attention back to her words. “I know what you mean but it was more than that it was, you were amazing. You’re a medical genius, that core you made to sustain your life force and your chakra it was...have you made it yet?” She asked him, her eyes wide with horror and curiosity combined.

Sasori noticed she seemed to be trembling with...excitement...apprehension?

“I have not. I have...thought of it though. There was a time before you came that I had considered leaving the village, as you know, I had also considered leaving everything behind, everything...including my humanity but...no, I haven’t found a way to do that...yet.” He raised his eyes to look at her, curious at her interest in such things, he hadn’t thought her to be the kind of woman to...harbor such dark interests, even if she was a medic nin…

“It was a masterpiece, your core. Kankuro, when we went back to pick up the pieces of...you...he wouldn’t let me have it. Not that I expected him to of course but he only let me look at it a few times, I had almost considered...well, it’s not important. I only wondered how it was made. If I had an opportunity to look at it again, I’m sure I could figure it out but…” Her voice trailed off.

He realized...she had admired him. She had fought him, he had let her kill him and she had admired him...was it only because of his core? His knowledge? Sasori was beginning to see her in a different light, he thought he had understood before why he had let her kill him but now...he was beginning to see it had been so much more, his other self had...respected her, as a peer. “How interesting.” He muttered.

“So you replicated my poison did you?” He asked her, wrapping his hand around her fingers, pulling the vial slowly from her grasp, their fingers sliding along the length of one another...indecently.

Sakura cleared her throat and laughed a bit. “I had to, to make the antidote. I didn’t tell anyone, then...they wouldn’t understand.” She turned her back to him and her vial of replicated poison to look at the plants on the far side of the greenhouse, giving her face time to cool from their interaction.

“You kept it from them, your teammates? From your Suna allies?” He smiled. He didn’t know why it had pleased him so much that she would do such a thing, he didn’t understand this feeling in the pit of his stomach…it was like they had shared a private moment between them, an intimacy, before he had ever met her.

“They wouldn’t understand. They were already worried about me, how fighting you had affected me, Granny Chiyo giving her life to save Gaara...it made me look at the world differently than I had before fighting you. I actually owe you, a lot.” She looked up at him through her lashes shyly. 

She hadn’t thought she would ever be able to talk to him like this, to ask him her questions and to get them answered, to show him she had replicated his poison, broken it down...to show him how she had created an antidote…now that she was over her shock of seeing him alive...human, she wanted her questions answered, she wanted to...know him.

“I understand.” He said simply and she smiled, he understood...he understood her.

“Show me girl, how you foiled my greatest most deadly poison at the young age of fifteen.” He placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her deeper into the confines of his greenhouse to his private lab in the backroom.


	30. Chapter 30

Sakura yawned and stretched. They had been in his lab for hours, sharing opinions, knowledge and hypotheses. She had enjoyed their time together very much. He was just as brilliant as she had always hoped and imagined him to be. They were in a heated discussion about the different uses of the Deadly Webcap mushroom when Rasa tapped on Sasori’s lab door.

“There you are. Gaara has been looking for you. Have you been here this whole time?” Rasa asked Sakura with a side glance at his brother who gazed back at him placidly.

“Yes, Sasori was showing me all of the rare fungi he had stored, it’s so fascinating the different uses. I never knew there were so many uses for them. Tsunade was a healer, not a poison’s Master. I never realized how much there was for me to learn.” She smiled brightly at the Kazekage who looked less than pleased by her obvious excitement.

Sakura noticed his displeasure and frowned. “Is something wrong, did something happen with Gaara?” 

“No, he was just worried about you. He said you disappeared after eating lunch with him and the nurses in the hospital didn’t know where you had gone.” Rasa tried to relax, it wasn’t her fault he was...what was he, he frowned again.

“Why doesn’t he know where I am, he is an excellent sensor?” She was confused. Gaara always knew where she was, his sensitive nature makes him an excellent sensor.

Clearing his throat Sasori explained, “My greenhouse, lab and other private facilities have seals on them. When inside, your chakra signature is undetectable. When you’re here, with me, no one will ever know. Unless you tell them. I prefer to work in peace.” He inclined his head to her.

“Oh.” She looked around the room but didn’t find any seals.

“They are hidden my dear.” Sasori smirked at her curiosity, recognizing it to be on par with his own.

“Well, thank you Sasori. I had a really nice time with you. I look forward to hearing more about those plants that can control their own reproduction later okay? After dinner maybe?” She smiled at Sasori and Rasa. “I should go find Gara before he gets too upset.”

Sasori and his brother watched her pink head until it rounded the last corner out of sight, heard the door to the greenhouse open, then click shut.

“She is supposed to be at the hospital today Sasori, you are keeping her from her duties.” Rasa turned to his brother after Sakura had left. 

“Why don’t you say what’s really bothering you Rasa…” Sasori cocked his head at his brother in annoyance.

“She performed three surgeries before lunch, which is more than any other doctor we have on staff could do in a week. I witnessed all three myself. She was low on chakra and had to take a solider pill to replenish her pools. We came to my greenhouse so I could show her first hand what was available to her. I fail to see the issue.” Sasori drawled. 

He knew exactly why his brother was bothered and what was bothering him. Rasa knew what he was getting into though, Sasori had made no effort to hide his interest in the woman, none of them had. The simple fact was, Sakura had more in common with him than either of his brothers, a fact he was more than willing to exploit...and had planned to. 

He fingered the vial of his poison that she had recreated from the sample she had extracted from Yashamaru. ‘She is perfect for me’, he told himself. Rasa had already been married before, it wasn’t his fault it had been arranged and there hadn’t been any love between them.

Rasa didn’t say anything, but turned and left the greenhouse before he made a fool of himself, he wasn’t sure what the issue was either, but he knew he didn’t like the way his brother looked at Sakura, or the way she had been looking at his brother when he had walked into Sasori’s lab. Confronting Sasori had always been a challenge for him, since their youth. 

Sasori was quick in mind and body...a formidable adversary on any field. He hadn’t realized how taken his brother was with the woman, but he knew he should have been...and that too bothered him. He would need to be careful if he wanted to keep her.

Humming softly to herself, Sakura walked slowly down the main street of the market sniffing at the different smells from the food stands. It wasn’t quite dinner but lunch had been a few hours ago. With her chakra pools restored she found herself in the mood for a snack. 

Perhaps something sweet for herself and something salty for Gaara. She stepped off the main road and shifted through the crowds to find a food stand that sold both. She would pick a snack up for herself and the little guy, maybe they could eat it at the park together…

Spotting what looked to be a suitable stand with both sweet cakes and takoyaki on the display racks she made her way through the crowds. With her bag in her hands she stepped back out onto the main road that would take her to the side street her cottage sat on.

Rasa closed the door to the greenhouse and leapt onto the nearby roof running across the other rooftops until he spotted a familiar gleam of pink locks slowly walking back to her cottage with a white bag in her hands. Rasa slowed to a walk, hopped down from the roofs and followed her. He would ask her to have dinner with him tonight and perhaps ask her what their new intimacy entailed. He needed direction, borders, definition to claim...this relationship was new and he...he saw two men step out in front of her, his eyes narrowed as he quickened his pace.

Sakura had thought she was being followed but she hadn’t been sure, not until two men stepped out in front of her blocking her path. Taking one measured step back she adjusted the white bag of snacks in her arm so that one of her hands was free, cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow at the men. 

“Can I help you?” She asked politely.

Both of the men bowed, not low...but not rudely. “Are you the one we’ve heard of, the woman who fell from the sky, who doesn’t know where she is from?”

Sakura took another step back making one of the men smile. She didn’t like the way he was smiling.

“I suppose I am. Why do you want to know?” She asked them looking around quickly to see who else was close by.

“We just wanted to make sure it was really you.” The first man stepped closer to her while the other stepped off to her right. They were trying to box her in...

“What does it matter, I don’t know you.” Sakura started to back away, she didn’t want to have to deal with this, the snacks she had gotten for her and Gaara to share would be ruined.

“Because we’re abducting you.” The first man leapt forward to grab her by the arm.

Sakura hugged the white bag to her chest and leapt backward, easily avoiding his sloppy grab. Ryo jumped down in front of her, blocking her from view. “Sakura Sama, please allow me to assist you.”

“Ryu?” Sakura said, surprised to see the Anbu. “What are you doing here?”

“Helping.” The unmasked, plain uniformed Anbu leapt into action pulling his sword from his back deflecting the shower of senbon the second man threw their way.

Gold sand rose up around them in a wave, the men yelled at one another to retreat but it was too late. Rasa’s gold sand engulfed them, knocking them down to the ground, the weighted mass of gold heavy and suffocating. Ryu cuffed them quickly with chakra suppressing cuffs and dragged them to their feet, as Rasa pulled his golden sand back and away.

“Take them to the holding cells and tell my brother what happened, tell him...he need not be gentle.” Rasa narrowed his eyes at the men who had just attacked and tried to take his prized medic from him. 

“Are you alright?” He took Sakura’s bag of snacks from her and they started walking back to her cottage as Ryu pulled the two nameless nin away to be tortured by the Poison Master.

“I had it under control, I was being careful because I didn’t want my snacks to get ruined.” Sakura smiled at him. “Thanks for your help though.”

“Are those the same men you saw in the park before?” He asked her as they walked up to the garden gate of her cottage.

“No, they were different.” She pursed her lips in thought. “They said they were going to abduct me, why?”

“This is my fault. I sent out that caravan and now…” He had made a lot of mistakes in his life, this was by far the most foolish. 

“Sasori will find out why they are here and what they wanted you for, you need not worry Sakura.” Rasa assured her handing her bag of snacks to her.

“I’m not worried.” She tapped her food lightly on the sandy soil beneath their feet. “I think I'd like to be there when Sasori interrogates them though.”

Rasa shook his head. “No, that’s not a good idea. Sasori prefers to work alone and besides, I don’t want you there.” He refused to let her be a part of that.

“Rasa. I deserve to know why they are after me.” She said seriously, quietly. 

That wasn’t the only reason though. She wanted to see Sasori, see what he used on the men and how he interrogated them. Sakura had never been part of Konoha’s Interrogation and Torture Department. As the Fifth Hokage’s apprentice, she had never had the opportunity. 

Her friend Ino had been though and they had spent some time discussing different forms of chemical torture. Commonly used medicinal compounds used in a more obscure and less traveled means of dulling senses, hallucinogens and sedatives.

If there was anyone who would know those things, it was Sasori. Sakura knew Suna had long surpassed Konoha in the torture and interrogation department in her own time and couldn’t help but wonder now, after meeting him as a person, if Sasori had been the basis for which they had expanded upon.

Rasa sighed. “I will go with you.” He knew her well enough to recognize that look in her eye, she wasn’t going to let this go.

Sakura dropped the snacks off to Megumu telling her to let Gaara know she would be back soon and left with Rasa toward the unmarked building on the other side of the village.

Rasa took her hand as he pushed through the front doors of the plain faced building and walked her down a narrow corridor. They continued to walk in silence and Sakura wondered if she had gone too far and had asked too much. Rasa seemed displeased and she hoped it wasn’t solely because of her request, but she couldn’t think of what else it might be.

She heard the screaming before the door came into view. 

“Are you sure you want to see this, my brother is...not gentle…” Rasa tried one last time to dissuade her.

“I want to know why they wanted me and also...I want to see how Sasori...handles them.” Sakura pushed the door open and stepped inside before Rasa could say whatever it was he had opened his mouth to say to her.

“What is this Rasa, why is she here?” Sasori looked up from the bloodied body of the nameless shinobi under his hand meeting Sakura’s wide green eyes.

“She wanted to know why they were going to abduct her.” Rasa’s face was grim.

“...and you brought her here?” Sasori wiped his bloody hands on a clean towel stepping back from the butchered man in front of him.

Strangled panting noises could be heard but both Rasa and Sasori ignored them. Sakura craned her neck to see behind Sasori, to see what he had on his table beside the examination bed, but he stepped to the side blocking her view with a smirk and something else she couldn’t identify in his eyes...vindication?

“What is it you wish to gain by being here?” Sasori’s voice was soft as he asked the woman his question, his blood smeared hand reaching out to…

“I want to know why they are interested in me, why they were sent here to get me and by whom. Also, um...I was interested to see what kind of chemicals you used to ...question them.” She answered him before he could touch her.

“I could have told you later, after. I had planned on sharing that information with you, surely you must know that.” He studied her face, her body language. ‘She’s interested in chemical torture?’, he smiled internally as he looked the woman over in front of him. ‘Full of surprises little girl, full of surprises…’

“Ah. You wanted to see...so you’ve thought of this before, in your time, do they not do this in Konoha of your time, use chemicals to extract information from captured shinobi? Come.” He motioned her to step over to the butchered man with him and pointed downward when she shook her head.

“See there?” He pointed to the chest cavity. “His heart still beats strongly. Can you tell me why?”

Sakura frowned as she looked at the man, he would die soon, from blood loss. He was clearly in shock. She marveled at his capacity to remain functional. His chest had been cut open with surgical precision, his top two ribs on each side were cut cleanly in half, not broken, and yet his veins continued their regular flow of blood...this was…”You gave him a stimulant?” She asked the red head.

Sasori smiled. “I knew it.” He muttered to himself.

“Yes, a stimulant dear and now, before he loses too much blood, ask your questions.” Sasori stepped back to give her room at the examination table while Rasa choked back his own personal opinion. He watched as Sakura’s eyes took in every detail, every ooze of blood and every pulsation of the man’s open heart. It almost made him sick.

Sasori turned a cold eye to the shinobi on the table. “Answer her and I will give you a clean quick death, if you choose to disobey me, you will suffer for days. I will give you a blood transfusion and keep you alive, just barely, just enough to know you are living, with no hope of dying until I chose to release your soul from this world...do you understand.” 

“Ye yesss.” The man wheezed.

“Very well, Sakura, ask him your questions dear, but make it quick or I will have to give him that blood transfusion. I prefer to keep my word, if I can.” Sasori stepped back and over to the other side as Sakura wet her lips with her tongue and looked down at the man.

“What village are you from?” She asked leaning over, her hands behind her back.

“Ku Kumoga kure.” The man stuttered.

Sakura nodded, “...and why would the Raikage want me enough to send you to abduct me?”

“Hea ling, he wanted you for your healing skills you were rumored to possess.” Sweat dripped down the man’s forehead.

“Hurry dear, so I might keep my word.” Sasori advised her and she nodded.

“Was it just the two of you? How many more will come?” She asked.

“Until he has you...many.” The man’s eyes slipped closed. A blade whipped through the air slitting his throat effortlessly, blood splashed across Sakura’s arms and shirt front. She looked down at the nameless shinobi, now deceased and closed her eyes.

A warm hand pulled her gently from the bed and away, to the next one.

“Come dear, let’s continue as we were.” Sasori slipped his arm around her waist and walked her to the next table where the second man lay with his eyes closed.

Rasa watched, but remained rooted to his original position.

“With this one I used a sedative. I wanted to keep him calm but I think…” Sasori looked up from the sleeping man to the pink haired woman beside him. “I think we might use this.”

Sasori pulled out the bag of sodium amobarbital that he had planned to use on her, before he had...decided not to use her in such a fashion.

“A hypnotic truth serum?” Sakura was surprised he would use something so gentle to interrogate an enemy shinobi.

Her surprise must have shown in her voice, he chuckled. “This might take some time, you’re welcome to wait of course, but it will be quite boring for the next hour while I make preparations for his...questioning.”

Sakura had no intentions of leaving but she thought Rasa might not wish to stay. “I want to stay but you can leave, don’t feel like you need to stay just because I want to.” She smiled at Rasa then stopped, noticing the look on his face.

“Rasa?” She asked tentatively.

“You’ve tortured people before?” Rasa nodded to the bloodied, dissected corpse on the table closest to them.

“No, but I have seen war and I’ve seen interrogation on the battlefield...I am a shinobi Rasa.” She was a little miffed by his condescension.

“You misunderstand my brother Sakura. He is surprised by your lack of...disgust.” Sasori came up beside her and touched her arm in reassurance that he was not surprised in the least of her interest.

“I’m a doctor. I’ve seen worse.” She shrugged. 

“You don’t have to stay, Rasa. I'm fine with Sasori here.” Sakura tried to smile at the Kazekage.

Rasa looked from his brother to Sakura. “Have dinner with me later?”

Sakura smiled a genuine smile of pleasure. “I would like that.” She rolled up onto her toes and kissed his cheek. “See you later for dinner.”

Rasa smiled down at her with more confidence and nodded to his brother before leaving them alone to their interrogating. Sasori watched his brother leave, wondering what the man was thinking, didn’t he know how incompatible they were for one another? Sasori sighed, if he didn’t know, he would show him. 

The real question on Sasori’s mind was why did she choose to pursue Rasa...that didn’t make sense to Sasori. It was one thing for Rasa not to understand how incompatible they were for one another, but another for Sakura not to see it, as observant and clever as she was…it puzzled him.

‘It must be something I can’t see’, he told himself.

With Rasa gone he turned to the woman and smiled. “Is there anything you would like to try my dear, something you have in that avid mind of yours that you were never able to...experiment with?” 

Sakura looked up from her perusal of his tools that he had laid out on his work table with a small guilty gleam in her eye. “Well, there is one thing but...I don’t know.” Her voice became soft and she left her sentence unfinished.

Sasori took a moment to take in her posture. Her hands were clasped behind her back, her shoulders straight but rigid. Her conscience was holding her back.

“This isn’t Konoha dear and I won’t judge you. In fact,” He moved closer to her leaning forward slightly so he could whisper in her ear. “I find this side of you, very attractive.”

Sakura’s green eyes flashed brilliantly for a brief second before she ducked her head in shame. Sasori chuckled. “Come dear, let’s fulfill one of your darkest fantasies together.”


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Mei Allowed

Rasa swirled the liquor in his tumbler as he waited for Sakura to arrive. Megumu had assured him she would be over after she bathed and dressed for their dinner together. Nervously, he ran his hands through his hair. Self consciously, he replayed their last encounters through his mind. No, he hadn’t imagined it, he hadn’t misunderstood...she was interested in him. He took a calming breath and a swallow of his drink.

However, even as he reassured himself of her interest he couldn’t get the image of her face out of his head, the image of unfiltered intrigue and desire so clearly fixated on his brother. 

He was the Kazekage, the strongest of the two according to the elders of Suna, according to the council and yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling, the feeling he had since he had taken his position as Kazekage, that he, like so many, had fallen to the hidden designs of his younger, more intellectually sound brother.

In his mind, Sasori was the one who should have been Kazekage, was more qualified, was the stronger of the two and yet, it was he, Rasa who had been offered the position. 

Rasa took another carefully measured swallow. He had already had two glasses while contemplating his situation, it wouldn’t do to have much more before she arrived. He didn’t want to give her any reason to think less of him, to make her think that she had perhaps chosen poorly...if she wasn’t already thinking such things…

Rasa knew he wasn’t a simpleton but in comparison to his brother’s uncommon intellect he also knew he fell woefully short. It had always been that way. 

Their father had pitted them against one another since birth. “Only the strong survive to procreate”, his father would tell them over and over. Well both Rasa and his brother Sasori had survived but only Rasa had produced any children. He didn’t consider it much of an accomplishment though, any fool could impregnate a woman. 

Another measured sip...any fool could marry. It had never bothered him before, not having love in his life. Some had love and some didn’t. He had other things to worry about. Protecting Suna for one, pulling them from the depths of their debt after the war another...love was so much less important than so many other things and yet, since Sakura had fallen out of the sky and into his life he had felt this annoying desire...to want something more, something for himself.

Rasa had thought the competitive days of their youth were over once he had become Kazekage. He had thought he and Sasori could finally be just as he had always wanted, brothers. 

Sasori was his right hand, his stability through the war, handling their troops on the front lines, gaining victory after victory for him, for Suna but now...it was like they were six years old again…

Only this time, they weren’t arguing over who’s fighting style was more deadly, gold sand versus chakra strings, no, this time, they were competing over something much more valuable...Sakura. Rasa drained the rest of his glass and poured himself another.

Sakura chewed on her bottom lip as Megumu brushed and pinned her hair up for her dinner with Rasa. Her time in Sasori’s lab had been...illuminating and...exciting. She had never met anyone who shared her desire to ‘know’, like he did and it bothered her almost as much as it pleased her.

If she were honest with herself it had only been in the last day or two she had stopped vexating on their past together, a past he was unaware of in a first hand sense. Hearing about what you did or who you fought and why was different than being the sole survivor of the encounter as she was. 

“Are you nervous Sakura?” Megumu asked as she patted the last lock of Sakura’s hair into place and pinned it back with a decorated clip.

“You’ve never been nervous to have dinner with the Kazekage before.” Megumu wondered at her friend's disposition and if it had anything to do with the Puppet Master who had walked her home after their...experiment.

Megumu had been in the garden with Gaara when they had walked up, walking close to one another, Sasori’s palm caressing the small of Sakura’s back. Sakura hadn’t seemed to even notice where the man’s hand was, so animated as she had been in their conversation. Megumu had frowned at how engrossed her friend had been when speaking with the man, that dangerous man, and wondered what had changed in her Lady.

The tension between the two had been clear to Megumu, from the very beginning, but something had changed between them and she didn’t know what it was, but she knew she didn’t like it. The man was a monster.

“Hum?” Sakura raised her head to look at her friend in the mirror. 

“Oh yes, it looks very nice thank you Megumu.” Sakura replied absently and continued to chew her bottom lip.

Megumu frowned. “I asked if you were nervous, Sakura Sama, about having dinner tonight with the Kazekage after, um waking up in bed with him.” Megumu asked her question again, clearly whatever Sakura had been thinking about dominated her mind and had distracted her from hearing her correctly.

“Oh? No, of course not.” Sakura’s eyes seemed to focus more on the other woman in the mirror and she smiled kindly.

“I was just thinking about something Sasori told me today when we were interrogating that Kumo nin, the one who tried to abduct me.” Sakura waved her hand in the air dismissing her thoughts and Megumu’s question with a small laugh. “It isn’t important.”

It was Megumu’s turn to bite her lip now, in worry. She didn’t know if it was her place or not, with any other Lady Megumu wouldn’t even have considered voicing her opinion but Sakura was different.

“Sakura Sama, please be careful around Sasori Sama, he is a very dangerous man. I see the way he watches you, the way he touches you and it...worries me Sakura Sama.” Megumu’s voice was quiet, afraid she may have overstepped her boundaries.

“Touches me? He doesn’t touch me.” Sakura laughed and turned in her seat to look at her friend, her smile faded from her lips the moment she caught her friend’s worried eyes.

“Megumu? Are you alright?” Sakura tilted her head to the side in question.

“He does touch you Sakura Sama. I’ve seen it. He touches you just barely, enough to be a mistake but it isn’t. Everything that man does has meaning behind it and I don’t trust him being so close to you.” Megumu’s words burst from her mouth and she clapped her hands to cover her face. “I’m sorry. I just...worry. You are so kind and I don’t want to see that kindness taken advantage of.”

‘Kind’, Sakura licked her lips...had she been kind earlier when she had...Sasori had smirked at her and told her she was being too kind to the man, that her method was too passive...even if it had been effective. 

Then he had smiled at her, in the most uncomfortable way and had told her she was infinitely more devious than he had thought. She still wasn’t sure what he had meant by that and she hadn't had any time then to inquire...the man had started to scream uncontrollably and she had, had to subdue him...

“I am not kind Megumu and Sasori is not dangerous, he is just misunderstood.” Even as the words left her mouth, she knew they weren’t true, part of them...Sasori was dangerous, but not because of his disregard for human life, or because of the blood that could never be washed from his hands no, he was dangerous because of the way he made her feel when she was with him.

“Don’t worry Megumu, but thank you for your concern.” Sakura placed her hand over her friends where it rested on her shoulder. “I need to get going, I don’t want to keep Rasa waiting.”

Sakura watched Rasa from the door of the sitting room. Clearly he’d already imbibed sufficiently in his cocktail before her arrival, his hand wavered as he set his glass down with a small thump on the coffee table. He hadn’t even noticed her presence lurking in the doorway. She hesitated. Should she leave...or would it make whatever was bothering him worse…

“I know you’re there, please, come sit with me.” His head turned and a softness touched his lips as he looked at her. 

Perhaps he had noticed her...

She looked beautiful standing in the doorway, apprehension written all over her face as she looked into the room at him. He wanted to explain but he wasn’t sure what he was explaining, or why he felt he should explain what he...he shook his head slowly then stopped.

“How much have you had to drink Rasa?” Sakura sat down gently beside him on the couch and smiled softly up at him.

He looked down at her and his mouth went dry. 

“You’re so beautiful Sakura.” The words tumbled from his mouth without restraint and he looked away, realizing what he had just said.

Sakura giggled and laid her hand over his. Gaara had said the same thing to her, in her time, that first night they had stayed up talking, had found the bottle of sake in Tsunade’s trunk and had...taken liberty of it together. 

Gaara had never drank before and the alcohol had been strong. Before he knew it he was confessing things to her he would never dream of confessing in his stoic more consistently sober state of mind. It seemed Rasa was the same. Sakura pursed her lips and smiled at the memory, then at the man beside her again.

“Thank you Rasa.” She took a glass from the tray in front of them and poured herself out a decent measure of sake from his bottle. A good stiff drink would help clear her mind of Sasori she thought. There was time to contemplate those feelings later. Right now she wanted to focus on the man before her, he deserved her attention.

“I’m not my brother.” He began then paused. “I’m not as clever as he is.”

Sakura took a sip of her drink and listened, clearly the man had something to get off of his chest.

“Our father was a strict man...an unforgiving man who had certain expectations of us. He pitted us against one another, constantly trying to push us to become stronger, quicker...bloodier. Sasori excelled under such pressure, I did not.” Rasa picked up his glass and drank deeply.

“I’m not my brother.” He said again.

“Of course you aren’t. Why would you be?” Sakura shook her head. Gaara and Rasa, she tapped her finger against her leg, so similar. Gaara had said the same thing to her, thinking she would prefer Kankuro over him, that he wasn’t good enough for her.

“Sasori is brilliant, a man who knows who he is but that isn’t everything a woman looks for in a man Rasa.” Sakura cocked her head to the side and looked him over. He had drank too much, far too much, this was bothering him more than he was letting on even in his drunken state. She sighed. ‘Men’, she hummed to herself. 

“It's strange you know. Some men think they are much more important than they really are and others, haven’t the slightest clue as to how extraordinary they are.” She laughed in a soft good humored sort of way.

“You’re not your brother, stop comparing yourself to him. You’re the Kazekage, you’re strong, you’re a protector. What does Sasori protect? Nothing as far as I can see that doesn’t benefit him personally. He is a selfish man. No, you are not your brother.” She squeezed his hand and smiled at him reassuringly.

“Today in his lab...you seemed so...connected to him as if, there was something there and it bothered me.” He said honestly.

“Oh Rasa.” Sakura shook her head, flashes of another man, unsure of himself in love flashed through her mind as she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Stop comparing yourself to others.”

Rasa closed his eyes, felt her lips against his skin and quite unconsciously leaned into her touch. “Sakura.” he murmured, lifting his hands to cup her face between them, pressing his lips against hers, slowly, giving her time to pull away, to reject him, to tell him it was too soon, that it wasn’t what she wanted...but she didn’t.

It was all so familiar and different at the same time. The touch of his lips on hers was the same but the smell of his skin was different. The heat of his touch seared her skin like Gaara’s had but his movements were more fluid. This man, she told herself was more sure of himself in this manner, than Gaara had been.

It had been during a time of war. Their touches had been few. Some had been quick, stolen in between skirmishes, a release, a reassurance for what they were fighting for...humanity, touch, love...a future...hope. Others, had been slow, deliberate and mesmerizing.

Neither of them had been with anyone before, neither of them had known what to do, how to do...anything. They had learned together, but Rasa, he had been married before and clearly, he knew what he was doing.

Rasa slowly pressed his body into hers, leaning her back against the cushions of the couch, this was different, there was no war, no need to hurry for fear of being discovered in one of the impromptu medical tents...and this was not Gaara but Rasa.

“Rasa.” Sakura began to protest, but as her lips parted to voice her objection, his tongue slid into her mouth, past her defenses and she closed her eyes.

No, this was not her Gaara but for now, perhaps just once, she could pretend…

His mouth was skilled as it covered hers, every flick of his tongue designed to draw her into him, every light touch down her neck sent shivers down her spine. Her body betrayed her, it had been too long since she had last felt Gaara’s touch, too long since she had felt this wanted, this adored and she made no move to stop him when his fingers tugged gently on the ties of her obi, slid up under the loosened silk of her top to caress her breasts.

“Sakura.” His voice was deep as his hands pushed the shirt from her shoulders, his mouth moving from her lips to lay open kisses along her jaw, then across her cheek and back down again grazing her neck with his teeth.

Quite unconsciously she moved her body against his, arching her back against the feel of his warm hand on her breasts, his fingertips playfully tugging on her nipple making it rise to his attentions. 

“Sakura, it’s been so long, I need you.” Rasa’s words had her eyes snapping back open and pushing him away from her.

Pulling her shirt back up and around her shoulders she hugged the fabric to her chest and widened her eyes at him. This was not her Gaara...a tear slipped down her cheek as she looked at the man before her. “I can’t.”

Grabbing her obi she moved to the door tying it around her waist as she went. Rasa rubbed his hands over his face, frowned down at the couch where she had been just moments ago moaning under his touch. Shaking his head, trying to clear his mind of the alcoholic haze he rose to his feet quickly he followed her, catching her by the hand before she could walk out the back door, back to her cottage.

“I’m sorry. The fault is mine. I...please, come back, have dinner with me.” He tipped her chin up with his fingers and looked into her eyes searching, for a hint, something to tell him he hadn’t just ruined everything. “Please.”

Guilt washed over her making her shoulders slump. “It wasn’t you, maybe I...maybe it’s too soon for me to try to move on, maybe it’s my fault for thinking it was even possible.” She shrugged against his arm as he lay it over her shoulder guiding her back into the house, toward the dining room.

“No, I pushed you, I was nervous, uh about dinner tonight and may have had a bit too much to drink before your arrival. I’m sorry, it’s my fault.” He ducked his head to catch her eye. 

“My fault.” He repeated and pulled the chair out for her to sit down at the table.

They were just about to eat when Yashamaru entered the dining room and sat down across from them, taking a plate from the stack on the side board and smiling cheerfully at them.

Rasa glared at his brother. “Dinner was supposed to be just Sakura and I tonight Yashamaru, I told you that earlier. What are you doing here?”

Yashamaru pulled the plate of fried liver toward himself and dished out several large scoops before answering his brother. “The two Kumo nin that Sasori questioned earlier, they weren’t alone. I thought you would want to know as soon as possible...and I was hungry.”

Rasa set his chopsticks down and contemplated his brother’s words. “Not alone? You found more in the village? Where are they?”

Yashamaru nodded, chewed and swallowed. “Sasori is questioning them now, where else would they be?” He asked Rasa as if it were a silly question.

“Hum.” Rasa picked his chopsticks back up and began to eat.

“How many?” Sakura asked.

“Three, Ryo was the one who found them. That man is smart Rasa, he should be promoted. He tracked the other’s chakra signatures back to an inn on the outskirts of the north desert before a day outside of Roan, brought them back on his own.” Yashamaru was clearly impressed with the man’s tracking skills.

“Did he?” Rasa scratched at his chin. That was impressive...

Ryo had proven himself more than capable during the last war, intelligent, a skilled shinobi and calm under pressure. Rasa knew of the man’s avid interest in Sakura, but he also knew it wasn’t of the romantic sort, the man had said he wanted to protect her. So Rasa had let him. Perhaps it was time to take the next step and make it official. Given that there were now two separate parties interested in Sakura, one attempted abduction and the two men in the park....

“I agree, Ryo deserves a promotion. He follows Sakura when he is off duty, I’ll simply change his duties and make him her official bodyguard, her personal Anbu.” Rasa nodded to himself, it was a good decision.

“Good idea.” Yashamaru agreed, taking another helping of the fried liver and pouring himself a drink.

“I don’t need an Anbu protector Rasa.” She shook her head at the idea, it was ridiculous, she could take care of herself.

“Sakura.” Rasa began.

“No Rasa. I don’t want a bodyguard. I’m a shinobi, a trained kunoichi. I can and will protect myself. Ryo was very nice helping me today and I appreciate his concern for my well being but I could have handled those two Kumo nin without an issue. I was going to, before you two showed up.” She wasn’t going to let this go. She wasn’t going to let them treat her like Naruto and Sasuke had, she wasn’t weak.

“I’m the Kazekage.” Rasa began.

“I don’t care, I’m not having someone follow me around like a dog, Kazekage.” She set her chopsticks down and began to rise from her seat.

“Sit down.” Rasa’s voice was stern. Why didn’t she understand, he was trying to protect her. Karura had never complained when he had made adjustments to her life style...

Yashamaru looked up from his plate, looked from his brother to Sakura and frowned. “What happened, something has happened between you two.”

No one answered for the spanse of two heart beats.

“It’s nothing.” Sakura rose from her seat stiffly. 

“It meant nothing.” She left the dining room, her plate nearly full.

“Rasa?” Yashamaru looked at his brother curiously.

“It’s nothing.” Rasa mumbled.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Mei Allowed

Gaara was waiting for her in her room when she returned to the cottage. 

“Ka San!” He chirped at her and all of the frustration and annoyance from dinner left her, making her smile.

“Gaara.” She picked the small boy up and kissed the top of his head. “I’ve missed you today. What have you been up to? Did you have a good time with Megumu?” 

“We made cookies!” He waved a small brown disc in her face smiling from ear to ear.

“Aww.” Sakura took a bite of the offered gift, chewed and smiled. “Those are good, are there anymore? I didn’t finish dinner with your dad.”

“No cookies until you eat dinner.” Gaara glared at her with such intensity that she burst out laughing.

“That’s right my little man, let’s go find some dinner. Did you eat already?” Moving him to her hip she walked out of her bedroom, his little arms wrapped around her neck dropping cookie crumbs down the back of her shirt, cheek pushed up against her own.

“Yes. Megumu fed me.” He took another bite of the cookie...he had finished his dinner and deserved it, his eyes told her, as he blinked at her while chewing.

Sakura smiled. She couldn’t understand how he had grown up into the deranged teen that she had first met when he was like this, all cute and adorable in her arms. Then she remembered tonight, with Rasa. The man had no communication skills on a personal level. A politician, but not a family man. She sighed.

Later that night she twisted and turned in her bed. No matter how she lay, it was the wrong way. Sighing heavily she got up and slid out of the covers of her futon and walked to her dresser.

She had taken a few herbs from Sasori’s laboratory earlier that evening for a minor sleep aid. Her dreams as of late had bothered her and she thought perhaps it had been because she hadn’t been sleeping deeply enough. Not tonight though, she didn’t want to dream tonight.

A pinch of this, a dab of that, she swirled the contents around until it glowed with a bit of her infused chakra, and drank it before she could change her mind. The liquid was bitter on her tongue, ‘How ironic’, she mused and closed her eyes waiting for the drug to take effect.

“Ah.” She smiled as she lay back down on her bed. She could feel it spreading slowly throughout her body, each muscle relaxing a little at a time, each nerve settling into dormancy preparing itself for sleep. 

_His hair was spiky, just as she remembered it had been, soft and short, but long enough to tug and grasp onto as she was doing now. A stifled moan slipped past her tightly pressed lips as his fingers worked their way past the ties of her pants and cupped her sex._

_“Not here.” She arched her back against the familiar pull of desire building up deep down in her belly. They were in the medic tent closest to the mess hall, there was too much foot traffic here, they were sure to be interrupted if they continued._

_“Not here.” Her mind forced the words into her head and out of her mouth. Her body didn’t seem to care, he could take her in front of the entire fighting body of the Allied Forces for all her body cared._

_Silence fell between them as if he was gathering his thoughts, her words registering in the back of his mind as his hands slid up and over her body._

_Sakura felt the familiar rise of the grains around their bodies, the darkness and then the softness of his bed underneath them as his sand was released. Briefly she opened her eyes, but she could only see the shadow of the man against her skin, his hands moving down, pulling and tugging at her pants. A giggle escaped her, but no words were spoken as she kicked the offending garment off the ends of her feet and shrugged the sleeves of her shirt from her shoulders._

_His skin was warm, just as she remembered, his touch gentle, yet demanding...a man used to getting his way and she was happy to give it to him._

_It had been over four days since they had touched, four days since they had seen one another...her barely audible sighs had him shaking with want. He needed to taste her, to feel her from the inside, to claim her as his all over again._

_“Gaara. I love you Gaara.” She moaned as he entered her._

_“You, just you.” His deep voice promised her gently against her ear._

_“Always you Sakura.” He pulled her into him, his fingers digging into the flesh of her hips, thrusting hard._

_Her eyes opened wide at the sound of his voice, not Gaara’s voice anymore but... red hair tickled her cheek as he moved against her, inside of her drawing her into him then releasing her._

_“Sakura.” Sasori’s voice came to her from the dim, his hands resting against the sweat kissed skin of her waist as he pulled back to look into her eyes._

_“I love you.” He told her, his amber eyes glowing with love and desire._

_“I love you.” His words rang through her ears, his thrusts more erratic as he released his pleasure inside of her..._

Rasa paced back and forth in his sitting room. He should go talk to her, explain himself, apologize, something. He stopped his pacing and looked out his window, it was late but...was it too late to fix this?

__

Rasa felt his brother’s chakra signature moving steadily toward him and wondered at it. Sasori normally masked his presence even in the village, why was he walking around with his chakra unbound…

__

Knock Knock.

__

“Come in.” Rasa turned toward the door to greet his brother. ‘The Kumo nin’, he recalled, that’s why his brother was here at this hour.

__

“What did you find out?” Rasa motioned for his brother to sit across from him as he sat down in one of the two armchairs before the grate.

__

“The Raikage wants Sakura for her healing abilities as I assumed. It really was foolish of you to have sent out that caravan Rasa.” Sasori shook his head condescendingly at his brother.

__

“I didn’t realize how valuable she was at the time to anyone other than Suna Sasori.” Rasa began but his brother cut him off.

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“You didn’t realize that a woman who could heal better than anyone in the world would be considered valuable to the other Hidden Villages?” Sasori quirked his red eyebrow at his brother and scoffed.

__

“I had not witnessed her healing first hand when I had made that decision. I wanted her for the calming effect she had on Gaara.” Rasa tried to defend his actions, as poor as they had been, he always felt like he had made the wrong choice in Sasori’s eyes and that Sasori would have made a better one.

__

“Exactly.” Sasori rolled his eyes at his brother. “You made a decision before finding out all of the information and as a result, you have not only put Suna in danger, but Sakura as well.”

__

Sasori rose from his seat. “This will not be the end of this. It is not only Kumo that is in need of a prized healer, nor just the Hidden Villages. You have put that woman in more danger than you know.”

__

Sasori’s voice was low, threatening and calculated. Rasa had rarely heard Sasori speak in such a tone. The last time he had heard his brother speak in such a way, Kankuro had snuck into his workroom to get a peek at his latest puppet and had sprung two of Sasori’s defensive traps, making a mess of the workroom.

__

The Puppet Master had been livid. Kankuro had almost died from the poison he had been inflicted with from Sasori’s trap, and the man had nearly refused to cure him, he had been so angry. Rasa heard that same threat in his brother’s voice now, that same coldness...of barely contained outrage.

__

“Ryo has been assigned to her as her private Anbu, starting tomorrow.” Rasa told him, ignoring the pain in his chest.

__

“Tomorrow, and what of tonight?” Sasori turned at the door and looked back at his brother. 

__

“You’d leave her unprotected at night?” He didn’t wait for an answer but left the room walking quickly toward the cottage, to Sakura.

__

‘So that’s why’, Rasa poured himself a drink and sat back down in his chair. His brother released his chakra as a warning to any unwanted attention the woman might attract, as a warning, that he was there. Sasori was right. Kumo weren’t the only ones that would be interested in her. Her skill alone attracted attention. She had healed the unhealable, cured the incurable and had found an antidote to a poison even it’s creator hadn’t been able to do.

__

Rasa had sent out the merchants’ caravan, but word was spreading on it’s own now. The more people she healed the more word would spread. Even her appearance had caused more talk than he had anticipated in their market. Sakura was not a woman with common looks. She had pink hair, ‘the color of a blush’, Hatake had said and eyes the color of Spring emeralds...she was gorgeous...and he, was a fool.

__

Sasori jumped up onto the roof beside Ryo. “I hadn’t expected you to be here, your Anbu assignment doesn’t start until tomorrow.” Sasori surveyed the man before him.

__

“Sasori Sama.” Ryo bowed low to the redhead. “It is true I am not assigned to watch over Lady Sakura until tomorrow but I could not leave her vulnerable for tonight.”

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“What of tomorrow, won’t you be too tired to be of any use to her tomorrow if you stay up all night watching over her now?” Sasori turned his head, he thought he heard something from the room below.

__

“Lady Sakura was kind enough to give me some of her soldier pills. I will wait out the night and see her safely to the hospital, rest, then be back to look over her by mid day Sasori Sama.” Ryo ignored the muffled noises coming from Sakura’s bedroom, his ears slightly pink.

__

“That is not acceptable.” Sasori knew what those noises were, he had no idea what was making the woman make such noises but he knew he didn’t want Ryo listening to them. 

__

“You are dismissed. Go home, rest and come back to your duty in the morning. I will watch over her tonight, personally.” Sasori waved the man away before he could protest and sat down cross legged on the roof of the cottage.

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“Yes Sasori Sama.” Ryo bowed low again, looking back over his shoulder only once before jumping down to the street to walk home.

__

Sasori waited a few more minutes before sliding down the side of the roof beside Sakura’s window, popping the latch with a chakra string and letting himself inside. Quickly, he disarmed his trap before it could go off, then reset it under the window frame. Megumu slept at the main house and Gaara was in his own room down the hall from his brother and sister. He and Sakura were alone.

__

With one hand Sasori sealed the small cottage for privacy. He didn’t want anyone else hearing the small moaning whispers that were coming from the shadowy mound in the corner of the room. Pulling his chakra back in and around himself, he suppressed it. With care he moved around her room checking to see that the traps he had set to protect her were still in place.

__

Turning sideways to glance back at the sleeping form in the corner, she lay quiet so he slipped out of her bedroom to check the rest of the small cottage. All of the traps he had set were in place, activated and secure. Sasori took in the small differences of the home since he had been there earlier that afternoon. It smelled of cookies and there were three plates in the wash basin.

__

‘Three’, Sasori bent over the basin and saw three cups as well. ‘Had she not eaten dinner with Rasa tonight’, he walked back to the bedroom pausing in the doorway. He could smell something heavy in the air, a scent that did not usually permeate her bedroom, herbal in nature.

__

Moving silently around her bedroom he found the empty cup on her dresser, the small individual bags of herbs, and froze. ‘Were these the herbs she had taken from his lab earlier that day’, he brought the cup to his nose and sniffed. ‘A sleep aid’ he turned to look curiously at the sleeping woman. ‘What on earth would make her voluntarily take a sleep aid’, Sasori hummed with interest as he picked up each herb and inspected it, measuring its contents and making a mental tally in his head.

__

‘Too much’, he realized she had used too much, the concoction would have been far too strong for her. No wonder she was muttering in her sleep. She was probably hallucinating as well. Once again he cursed the stupidity of his brother. If Ryo hadn’t taken it upon himself to watch over the woman she would have been completely unprotected, drugged by her own hand and helpless to defend herself from any possible attack.

__

Murmuring and incoherent mumbling drew his attention from the individual packets of herbs on the dresser to the woman sleeping in the corner of the darkened room. Sasori moved over to her bedside and knelt down to feel her forehead. She was warm but not fevered. She had added far too much salvia and again, he wondered why she had even taken the sleep aid in the first place.

__

Salvia has a particular effect on one's nerve cell receptors and can cause body sensations, visions, feelings of detachment, and altered perceptions of self. It was clear to Sasori the woman was dreaming, he only hoped her seemingly pleasant dreams didn’t turn into nightmares.

__

A small hand reached up and pulled his hand from her forehead. 

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“Sasori.” Her voice was shallow and breathless as though she had just run a great distance and was struggling to fill her lungs with air.

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“Sakura dear, are you alright?” Sasori leaned forward to check her eyes but found them closed.

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“Why aren’t you dead...why won’t the dead stay dead?” She murmured, twining her fingers with his.

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“Sakura you’re dreaming, wake up.” He reached out and shook her shoulder gently in an attempt to rouse her.

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“I want to go home.” She whispered, her hand slipping from his to fall limply at her side.

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“Sakura.” He shook her by the shoulder again but she was unresponsive. He hadn’t expected her to wake fully but he'd hoped...

__

Sasori sat back on his heels. He could just let her sleep, stay with her to make sure she didn’t sleepwalk or put herself in danger. She had felt his presence and recognized it, even in her mentally altered state of mind. He was pleased, but also disturbed by what she had said. Did she want him dead, was she sorry he was alive?

__

Pushing up from the bedding he rose to his feet, intending to sleep in the chair beside her bed but a small hand shot up and grabbed the leg of his pants. “Stay, I don’t want to be alone.”

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“I’m here dear. I’ll be right here in the chair by your bed, sleep Sakura. I’ll stay with you until the morning.” He knelt down beside her bed again and brushed the hair back from her face.

__

“Thank you. Sasori.” Briefly, her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him, smiled, then closed her eyes again with a sigh of relief.

__

‘She trusts you, subconsciously’, his heart fluttered in his chest. No one had ever trusted him before. Rasa relied on him to kill his enemies, turned to him for advice when he was unable to find a solution to his problems on his own and expected his loyalty and support, but trusted him, no he didn’t think his brother trusted him...and Sasori didn’t trust his brother.

__

...but Sakura...drugged and vulnerable, alone with him and sleeping, she had known he was there, had felt safe in his presence...wanted him to stay with her...it was a burden he wasn’t sure he could handle but a burden he knew he wanted very much. 

__

“You’re welcome dear.” Against his better judgement and completely out of character, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

__

As soon as his lips touched her skin, she mewled for him, rolled and drew his hands inward to her chest, pulling on his arms dragging him down beside her, and he froze. He had never been this close to anyone, he wasn’t sure what to do, he was out of his element and yet, he didn’t want to leave, he didn’t want to pull away from her…

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“I’m glad you’re not dead...you understand.” Her breath was warm against the side of his cheek, her voice rang like a silver bell in his ear.

__

‘She was glad he wasn’t dead’, he swallowed.

__

“I understand?” He asked her, his voice calm and controlled, everything that he currently was not.

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“You understand.” She nodded into the side of his neck. “Thank you Sasori.”

__

‘Thank you, for what?’, he moved his leg into a more comfortable position and pushed up with his left arm to lay on his side facing her, he wanted to look at her face.

__

“What do I understand?” He moved his arm nudging her head gently, coaxing her to lift it so he could stretch his arm out.

__

Sakura sighed and lifted her head for him, setting it back down and rolling onto her side curling against his chest. She muttered something soft and soundless against his shirt but he couldn’t hear her, muffled as it was. So he settled for a nod against the top of her head as her hair tickled his nose, a small contented smile on the corner of his lips.

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“I understand Sakura. You can trust me.” He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. She smelled of the herbs she had drunk, of sweet cakes and flowers. “Sleep dear. I’ll be here in the morning when you wake.”

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“I can’t go home.” She murmured, her voice growing more faint, heavy with sleep, her body relaxing against his as he held her.

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“You can stay here though, with me.” He closed his eyes again. “This can be your new home.”

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Pink hair brushed across his chin as she nodded. They lay there, breathing silently, his head resting over her head, her face buried in his chest and her fingers tangled into the front of his shirt. 

__

He had thought she had fallen asleep, but just before sleep found him he heard her whisper, “I admired you, even though I killed you.”

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Sasori nodded and hugged her to him. He understood. Yes, he understood her.

__


	33. Chapter 33

He opened his eyes to pink as the predawn light began to slowly creep along the window sill barely touching his toes at the end of her futon. He had woken up in the same position he had fallen asleep in, her hair had floated up to cover his eyes. She was still curled up into the front of his chest, her fingers still tangled in the cloth of his shirt. ‘I want this’, he blinked his eyes slowly and kissed the top of her head.

Her warmth enveloped him, her smell was dragging his eyes closed again, but the annoying chakra signature on the roof of her small cottage had him pulling reluctantly away from her. 

Slowly he rose, tucking the blankets in around her chin. Bending over with only the slightest self conscious apprehension, he kissed her cheek. One frail hand, delicate in nature, fingers long and curved rose to caress his cheek in farewell...he stood looking down at her, his eyes soft and unguarded as no one was there to see his vulnerability.

“Gaara isn’t the only one who...needs you Sakura.” He whispered, flushing in embarrassment, he hadn’t meant to say the words out loud, empty room or no...but he had meant them and there was no one there to hear him, but him...but her and she was still asleep. He opened the window and leapt to the roof.

“Why do you need me Sasori, what am I to you…” He never heard the words that she had said as she rolled over, her face buried where his head had been, inhaling his comforting scent of fresh wood, cinnamon and wood oil.

“Good morning Sasori Sama.” Ryo bowed low to the Puppet Master as he swung up from Sakura’s bedroom window to land beside him on the roof.

“Ryo.” Sasori acknowledged the man.

They stood in silence for a time, Ryo straight backed and calm, Sasori considered his next words carefully.

“You watch her to protect her, even before you had been assigned to her, why?” Sasori spoke his thoughts.

“She is a rare person. The jinchuriki, Lord Gaara, she treats him with a rare kindness. From the beginning she wasn’t afraid of him and he adores her for it, is loyal to her for it. That kind of strength needs to be protected.” Ryo replied in earnest.

“Kindness and strength.” Sasori nodded. “Admirable to be sure but you are a Suna Anbu, a Suna shinobi.”

“Sasori Sama?” Ryo didn’t understand the man’s line of questioning.

“Where does your loyalty lie, Ryo, with Sakura or with the Kazekage?” Sasori turned his sharp amber eyes on the man as the morning sun broke the clouds behind his head illuminating the red of his hair.

“I.” Ryo hesitated. 

This was a loaded question. This man, was not someone to cross, to lie to and yet, he knew not where Sasori’s intentions lay. The man had spent the night with Sakura Sama, but did not smell of sex. He knew the man’s reputation like the rest of Suna but had never seen the man as a monster, he was a shinobi, shinobi killed. Sasori Sama may take more pleasure in interrogation than others, but it took all kinds didn’t it?

“With Sakura Sama.” Ryo bowed his head, waiting for the blow that would end his life. It was treason to vow loyalty to anyone other than the Kazekage, and Sasori was the Kazekage’s brother.

Sasori nodded, raising his face to the new day and smiled into the light. “Good.” 

When Ryo raised his head, the man was gone. ‘Good’, he had said. ‘What does this mean’, Ryo licked his bottom lip sitting down on the roof of the cottage.

‘Sasori’, the name floated along the thin line of her consciousness. 

Sakura opened her eyes slowly, the pull of the change in air pressure rousing her enough to lift her head and look around the room. Nothing was there however, so she closed her eyes again and lay her head back down on her pillow that smelled of wood oil and cinnamon. She smiled at the incomplete thought in her head, ‘Where had she smelled that scent before’, it was comforting, relaxing and it lulled her back into a blissful sleep.

An hour later she woke again , this time to two little hands patting her face gently. “Ka San, can you release your seals? Megumu can’t enter the cottage to make us breakfast.” Gaara tapped her nose and cheek with his little paws affectionately.

“Mmm? Seals?” Sakura opened her eyes to teal ones staring her in the face.

“Good morning Gaara baby.” She hugged the little jinchuriki to her chest and kissed the top of his head.

“Ka San, get up.” He complained. “Megumu can’t get into the cottage.”

“She can’t?” Sakura stretched and sat up on her bed looking around. She had the sense of someone nearby and wondered at it, she had never been a sensor nin and couldn’t see why that would change over night.

“You sealed the cottage Ka San, and she can’t get in.” Gaara was pulling on her hand now, trying to drag her to a standing position.

“Seals?” Sakura made the hand signs to break common protection seals but only felt one release. The feeling of that strong presence faded a bit.

“Someone placed protection seals on my cottage?” She mumbled as she made the next, more complicated, set of hand signs and released two more levels of protection.

“My gosh.” She was awake now, standing and made the third more difficult hand signs to release the final seal. It took her three tries but she finally released it. Whoever had placed the protection seals on her cottage was...a sealing Master, she wondered who it had been.

Looking around her room she noticed the cup that she had mixed her sleep aid in last night had moved a few inches and the bags of herbs were placed in a different order. Bending over she picked up her pillow and sniffed it, she frowned, it smelled of something familiar, but not her, there was something…

“Ka San I’m hungry!” Gaara was pulling on her arm again, trying to shove her through her bedroom door toward the kitchen.

Sakura laughed. “Go in the kitchen and help Megumu, I’m going to get dressed. I'll be right there.” She pushed him gently out the door and closed it behind him, turning back to look around her room more closely but found nothing else out of place. 

Tapping her fingers on the side of her leg she shrugged and went to the bathroom to wash and get ready for the day. She had two surgeries scheduled for the morning and didn’t want to be late.

Sakura was elbow deep in the chest cavity of a civilian when she felt Gaara’s sand swirl around her ankles. Without looking up she spoke sternly to him, “Gaara, mom is busy at the moment, wait in my office or outside of the OR, you can’t be in here right now.”

“Okay Ka San.” His sand moved along the floor and he left the room as easily as he had entered.

“Sakura Sama, that was amazing.” One of the nurses smiled at the pink haired woman and wiped her brow with a moist rag as she connected the last two arteries of the man’s heart and sealed him back up seamlessly.

“Years of practice.” Sakura smiled and pulled her mask from her face, tossing it into the trash bin.

“No, I mean, that was amazing as well, but I meant how you control master Gaara.” The nurse amended the misunderstanding.

“I don’t control him, I show him kindness, something the rest of Suna ought to start doing. If they had been kinder to him before my arrival there never would have been any rampages by Shukaku.” Sakura spoke a bit more sharply than she had intended. “I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep well last night, forgive me.”

“Oh! Nothing to forgive Sakura Sama!” The nurse stammered and bowed low, her hands clasped in front of her. “I am sorry, I am just surprised to hear you, I mean, the village we, I am…” The words faded away in the nurse’s embarrassment.

Sakura sighed and pulled her gloves from her hands and added them to the waste bin. “I understand, but it’s different now, right? You just saw, try smiling at him sometimes, you won’t be disappointed.” Sakura patted the nurse on the shoulder and left the OR.

With an armful of papers Sakura opened the door to her office to find Rasa sitting behind her desk, his feet up on her window sill looking at her plants.

“Oh, hello Rasa, I wasn’t expecting you. Is everything alright?” Sakura smiled cordially at the Kazekage.

She hadn’t spoken to him since she had left the dinner table last night and had hoped she had more time before seeing him to get her head in order. As it was, fate had other plans.

“Everything is fine. I knew you had two surgeries this morning so I thought I would wait for you in your office.” He stood and pulled her chair out for her with a small forced smile.

“Thank you.” Sakura moved around him, careful not to touch him as she sat down behind her desk, setting the large pile of paperwork in the corner and pulling off the file on the top.

“About dinner last night Sakura. I think you misunderstood me and my intentions.” Rasa began.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at his words. “Did I?” She folded her hands on her desk and leaned back in her chair.

Rasa narrowed his eyes at the pink haired woman sitting in the chair and office he had built for her. 

“Sakura.” Rasa began again but was interrupted by Sasori opening the door without knocking and stopping just inside the doorway when he spotted both Sakura and his brother in what appeared to be a disagreement of sorts by their facial expressions.

“I’m interrupting something. I’ll come back.” Sasori made to step back out of the room but Sakura stopped him.

“Stay. Please. We’re almost done here anyway.” Sakura looked back at Rasa who was clenching his jaw.

“We are not almost done and I would like to speak with you in private.” He grit his teeth as he spoke.

Sasori looked from his brother to Sakura with great interest, pulled out one of the chairs in front of her desk and sat down, looking at Rasa to continue.

“I would like to speak with Sakura alone Sasori, please wait outside or come back later as you had originally suggested.” Rasa tried to wave his brother away but Sasori wasn’t paying attention to him, his amber eyes were on Sakura, and only Sakura. Heat rushed to Rasa’s face and he clenched his fists.

“Rasa, there isn’t anything to talk about. I don’t want an Anbu following me night and day, and as for the other...well, that was...a mistake.” She blushed and looked down at her hands. “I was just, home sick I think and you reminded me of...Gaara, of my time and … it was my fault, you did nothing wrong. I’m sorry.” 

“I would really like to speak to you about this in private Sakura.” Rasa took a quick step toward her and took her hand in his, his eyes softening as he looked at her. “Please.”

“I...okay, later though.” She acquiesced, eyes on her feet.

“Later then, dinner, tonight?” Rasa squeezed her hand, hoping she would look up at him again so he could see her eyes. If he could just explain to her how he felt, without the unwanted audience of his brother, he was sure he could make her see reason and change her mind.

“She has dinner plans with me tonight actually, that’s why I came by, to remind her in case she forgot.” Sasori interjected with a bored sort of nod at Sakura who blinked twice before nodding and looking up at Rasa.

“I did forget, thank you Sasori.” Sakura pulled her hand from Rasa’s with a small apologetic smile to hide her releif.

“You’re having dinner with my brother? Alone?” Rasa’s voice was cold and his eyes narrowed on Sasori, his anger clearly written across his face.

“Is that a problem Rasa?” Sasori asked his brother calmly, turning in his seat to face him.

Rasa’s jaw tightened further, his eyes flickered from Sasori to Sakura. “Sakura, I thought that, we were, I mean...we had discussed perhaps becoming more than uh…”

“It’s just dinner Rasa.” Sakura gave Rasa a hard look. “Unless dinner to you means something else, because last night you seemed to think that”

Rasa cut her off. This is exactly why he had wanted to speak to her in private...“That is not what that was about, it was a mistake, I was...I was trying to apologize for that. I came to apologize.” He stammered. He did not want to have this conversation in front of Sasori of all people…

Sasori hummed to himself in interest, so that’s why she had gone home to eat…Sasori sat back in the chair relaxed to watch his brother fidget in front of the pinket in amusement.

“It was a mistake Rasa.” Sakura repeated quietly. “It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

“I want to talk about this more. This conversation isn't over.” Rasa looked from Sasori to Sakura one more time before stepping back from the woman and leaving her office quickly.

Sakura turned around to face her window and took several deep breaths before turning to smile gratefully at Sasori. “Thank you Sasori, that was...kind of you.”

Sasori shrugged, leaned forward onto the edge of her desk and tented his fingers. “I don’t suppose you want to tell me what that was about hum?”

“Ah well, you see.” Sakura blushed much to his amusement. “Dinner didn’t go very well last night.”

“I noticed the plates in your kitchen.” Sasori nodded.

“Plates?” She scooted her chair in and looked at him confused by his statement.

“In your kitchen, there were three plates, you ate at home last night, not with my brother. I assumed dinner went poorly and you left.” He raised one perfect eyebrow at her in query.

“Uh yes, but, wait it was you? You’re the one who placed those protection seals on my cottage?” Sakura’s eyes went wide. “I never knew you were a Master of Seals.”

“What is a Master of anything really...it was just a few simple seals to make sure you stayed safe after your ...shall we say overzealous sleep aid. Really dear you ought to be more careful, anyone could have waltzed into your bedroom and taken advantage of you.” He smirked at her surprise.

“Taken advantage of me? You mean, you were in my bedroom last night?” She asked him.

“I went to check on you. I sealed your cottage and checked my traps. I noticed the empty cup on the dresser and the dishes in the sink.” He shrugged.

“Wood Oil and cinnamon.” Sakura muttered, her brow furrowed in thought. “Did we…”

“Hum?” Sasori leaned forward. “I didn’t hear you dear.”

Sakura blushed. “Nothing, I just had a very um, unusual dream last night about uh, something and…I could have sworn you were...” She coughed delicately into her hand as her face grew darker and darker red.

“I can imagine the kinds of dreams you had my dear, too much salvia will do that you know.” He smirked again at her embarrassment, he had heard her enticing moans and knew what kinds of dreams she had been having but hadn’t even thought until now they might have been about him.

“Did you dream about anyone I know?” He asked her casually.

Sakura choked on her own spit and started to cough and wheeze. Sasori rose from his seat and came around to stand beside her patting her gently on the back. 

“Are you alright?” He asked her slyly.

“Yes.” She managed to nod and turned away from him, bringing a hand to her flushed cheek.

“The two Kumo men we interrogated yesterday weren’t alone, I thought you might like to know. I didn’t know if Rasa had told you or not.” He looked at her questioningly. She shook her head so he continued.

“Ryo tracked their cohorts to the north and brought them back. I interrogated them while you had dinner with my brother but found you missing when I made my report. Which is how I found out you had left Rasa to finish his meal alone.” Sasori bent the truth slightly as he twiddled with a sand flower on the edge of her desk that Gaara had made for her.

“I went to check on you, to make sure you were...safe and found Ryo sitting on the roof of your cottage, voluntarily mind you.” He saw the protest in her eyes.

“However did you gain that man’s loyalty?” He asked her as if the thought had just occurred to him...

“I wasn’t aware that I had it.” Sakura said honestly, slightly surprised at this turn of events.

“Really? How interesting, well he has been assigned as your personal Anbu. I know you do not need protection Sakura dear, but humor me please.” Sasori raised his hand to stem her protests that he knew were coming, he had seen the look on her face when she had been speaking with Rasa.

“Take into consideration that the guard is not for you, but for us, for Gaara.” He smiled easily at her now.

“For you and Gaara?” She didn’t understand his reasoning.

“Peace of mind dear. For those who...care about you.” Sasori coughed lighty and rose from his seat to go. 

“I know you are capable of taking care of yourself, but it makes the rest of us feel better, not you, do try to keep that in mind and try not to fight Rasa on this at least. Also, think of Ryo, the man needs something to protect., to believe in dear. Don’t take that away from him hum?”

“So you...don’t think I need an Anbu guard because I’m weak?” She felt foolish asking him now after what he had just said but she wanted, needed the confirmation.

“Weak?” Sasori scoffed loudly and Sakura immediately felt relieved. 

“Weak, no dear, never. I would never insult you by thinking such a thing of you. In fact you are quite the opposite.” He smiled ruefuly and rubbed his wrist thinking of how she had grabbed his chakra strings, pulled on them with her monstrous strength and tossed him through the air like a rag doll.

“Beautiful, clever and curious, but weak, no...never weak my dear.” Sasori inclined his head to her pausing at the door before leaving. “I’ll meet you back here at 5 Pm for dinner. I’m thinking we can get take out and eat at your cottage if that suits you? Or perhaps the East Gate?”

Sakura smiled. “That sounds wonderful. I’m looking forward to it Sasori.” 

“As am I dear.” Sasori smiled and left her office thinking of what kind of flowers she might like, perhaps something poisonous...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where thoughts come from...
> 
> Sonyites: I like taking that and then delving deeper  
> [11:40 AM] Sonyites: letting my own thoughts flood into the canon and warping or twisting it to my perception  
> [11:40 AM] Sonyites: Sasori: you mean my perception  
> [11:40 AM] Sonyites: Sakura: not everything is about you  
> [11:40 AM] Sonyites: Sasori: and yet...it should be  
> [11:41 AM] Sonyites: Sakura: I thought you said you loved me  
> [11:41 AM] Sonyites: Sasori: you were dreaming dear, we never had sex either  
> [11:41 AM] Sonyites: Sakura: and now we never will  
> [11:41 AM] Velvelya: lmao ^  
> [11:41 AM] Sonyites: Sasori: I think it's adorable that you think you're the one that's in control here  
> [11:42 AM] Velvelya: Sasori nooo if you say it like that it sounds like rape. smh.  
> [11:42 AM] Sonyites: Sasori: please  
> [11:42 AM] Sonyites: Sakura: just because you say please doesn't mean we're going to do it  
> [11:42 AM] Sonyites: Sasori: but you told rasa that...  
> [11:42 AM] Sonyites: Sakura: shut up!  
> [11:44 AM] Sonyites: can I post this as the author notes on the next chapter?  
> [11:44 AM] Sonyites: It's funny  
> [11:44 AM] Velvelya: lmao yee  
> [11:44 AM] Sonyites: yes!  
> [11:44 AM] Sonyites: thanks:)
> 
> Later…
> 
> : look at the cuteness!  
> [11:51 AM] Velvelya: I'M LOOOKIIIIING  
> [11:51 AM] Sonyites: IT'S SOO CUTE I'M GONNA DIE!  
> [11:51 AM] Sonyites: lol  
> [11:51 AM] Sonyites: Sasori: It?  
> [11:52 AM] Velvelya: Sakura: Well...I mean, if you are a puppet do you have a gender?  
> [11:53 AM] Sonyites: Sasori: little girl...I was not a puppet then...clearly...and just as clearly, I was adorable  
> [11:53 AM] Velvelya: Sakura: So full of yourself -sniffs- but true.  
> [11:54 AM] Sonyites: Sasori: See, so then, about this sex you claim we aren't going to have...  
> [11:54 AM] Sonyites: Sakura: That was a different fan fic  
> [11:54 AM] Sonyites: Sasori: you're point?  
> [11:54 AM] Velvelya: Sakura: I admitted you were cute as a kid...not that i wanted to bang you.  
> [11:54 AM] Velvelya: TWO DIFFERENT THINGS SASORI  
> [11:55 AM] Sonyites: Sasori: before you make that wrong decision, let us speak further of the 'adjustments' I have made to my body
> 
> Thank you Tsukiko!


	34. Chapter 34

Rasa paced back and forth in his office…’What the hell did his brother think he was doing’...interrupting them like that, then staying when he clearly wasn’t wanted...and Sakura…’It was a mistake’, Rasa clenched his fists together and grit his teeth…

“It was not a mistake.” Rasa muttered, it wasn’t, he just needed to make her see that. To make her understand.

Sakura sat in her office and looked out her window at her plants. The air conditioner kicked on and the smell of wood oil and cinnamon floated across her nose. 

“What?” Sakura turned to look around the room, but no one was there.

She frowned, that scent, so familiar and...comforting. Her thoughts drifted to Sasori. He had checked on her last night, had come today to her office for…what had he come to talk to her about? It didn’t matter, she would see him in a few hours anyway for dinner.

Dinner...Rasa hadn’t been pleased at all, she knew but...she had been honest with him, that’s all she could do. She did feel a bit guilty, she hadn’t meant to give him false hope, she had meant it when she had apologized and said the fault was hers, it was. 

There was no one that could replace her Gaara. She shouldn’t have even tried. Rasa, while similar, was not her Gaara. She was a horrible person…she had just been so lonely after seeing the other Kakashi, after being told he had killed...her Kakashi...

She continued to stare at her plants, vaguely wondering what Sasori had used to interrogate the other Kumo shinobi Ryo had brought back to Suna last night. She would ask him at dinner. 

Ryo was another point of interest. Sasori had mentioned she had the man’s loyalty, she hadn’t realized he had been following her…’That’s why he was so close when those two Kumo shinobi attacked’, she realized.

Turning in her chair she looked back out the window of her office to the desert. Her lab was done, her greenhouse completed. Her eyes caught something metallic, she scooted her chair closer to the window and looked out over the sand but didn’t see anything. For several minutes she sat there looking but the gleam in the sand that had caught her eye just moments ago refused to resurface and she sighed.

As her eyes dropped down she saw once again the small pathway into the cliff side of the plateau that made up the defensive walls of Suna and wondered at it. ‘For the family’, is what Rasa had told her when she had asked him about it. It hadn’t been there in her time that she could remember. Rising to her feet she left her office, walked through her lab and out the small door of her greenhouse toward the pathway.

The sand shifted underneath her feet as she approached the darkened crevice. It was narrow and cool, she could tell by the change in temperature that the pathway that cut through the plateau was deep. Rasa had said it led out into the desert. 

Were there no guards around to protect this entrance and exit from the village...she turned her head left to right and saw no one. Tilting her head up, she didn’t see any one looking down at her. ‘How silly’, she thought to herself. Perhaps it didn’t cut through to the desert like she had thought?

Curiosity ate at the more logical corners of her mind as she took one step, then another into the darkened earth that loomed above her on both sides. Fairy tales that her mother had read to her as a child flooded her mind. ‘Children who step into the unknown are never seen again’, the line, the warning from her favorite fable played over in her head, the voice of her mother as the narrator.

Sakura laughed softly to herself as she continued one step at a time into the unknown.

Ryo watched the woman step into the rock and froze. ‘What the hell did she think she was doing?’, had the Kazekage not warned her what traps lay in wait for her there? Ryo looked about but saw no one...jumping down from the roof of her office, he followed her.

A small tinkling noise sounded through the dark as Sakura continued down the path, there was a bright blue flame of sorts hovering just above the ground a few meters in front of her. She paused, her eyes adjusting to this new illumination, when had the path gotten so dark so quickly? She hadn’t even realized...wait, her logical mind told her this...was a trap.

With trained precision she made the required hand signs and released the genjutsu. “Release.”

The flame disappeared and a scorpion crawled out from the rock where the flames had sat, a familiar chakra filled the air and she gasped. “Sasori.”

Sasori’s head snapped up and turned away from the Kumo nin he was preparing to be made into his next puppet as he felt one of his more dangerous traps activate. Focusing his chakra he quickly located the trap…’The boarder pass?’...

”Sakura., oh shit.” He dropped his scalpel and ran, not even bothering to wipe the blood from his hands, there wasn’t any time.

Sakura leapt back from the scorpion, wondering vaguely what had possessed her to wander in here again, when she heard a gasp behind her. She spun, kicked and ducked as Ryo deflected her hit, dropped and stood back up when he saw she had recognized him.

“Sakura Sama, you should not be in here, forgive me, but didn’t anyone warn you not to enter this corridor of death?” Ryo pulled her behind himself and faced the scorpion whose tail was arched and dripping poison.

“Corridor of death? Rasa told me it was used only by the royal family, he said he would show it to me but he never said it was dangerous.” Sakura tried to defend herself, feeling more and more foolish by the second.

“It is used only in emergencies Sakura Sama, if the royal family needs to escape the village. Sasori Sama set these traps himself, they will not be easy to dismantle.” Ryo was backing slowly away from the scorpion, keeping Sakura at his back and gently guiding her backwards with him.

Sasori had set the traps...Sakura groaned recalling the third set of seals on her cottage and how it had taken her three tries to release them.

“I released the first genjutsu though, this scorpion is physical, it’s really here. Can’t we just kill it?” She asked Ryo who seemed to be overly cautious of the small scorpion.

“When dealing with Sasori Sama, things are not always as they appear.” Ryo said quietly as not to upset the scorpion that was tracking their every movement.

“But.” Sakura started to protest.

“Don’t move, stand still.” Sasori’s voice was calm, but insistent.

Sakura turned to find the Puppet Master behind her, she hadn’t even felt his approach…”Sasori.” 

“Did Rasa not tell you to stay out of this corridor dear?” His tone was annoyed but she knew it wasn’t her he was annoyed with, but Rasa.

“Not exactly, he told me he would show it to me later, but he didn’t tell me it was dangerous.” She told him the same thing she had told Ryo.

“Of course not, the imbecile. Well, be that as it may, it is dangerous.” Flinging his hands out over his head he used his chakra strings to wrap the small scorpion, squeezing until there was nothing but pulp. 

“What a shame, that was one of my more deadly and difficult ones to make.” He sighed and stepped around them, ahead of them. 

“Well, come on dear, you wished to see what was at the end of this tunnel did you not?” Sasori raised an eyebrow at the woman who hesitated for just a moment then stepped up beside him with a small smile.

“I did.” She looked at Sasori who smirked.

“Then follow me. Ryo, please go back to the hospital and tell anyone who asks for Sakura, she is...indisposed and may or may not return for the day.” Sasori took Sakura’s arm and pulled it through the crook of his own arm, pulling her closer to walk beside him. “Stay close dear, the next trap I’ve laid is far more devious and challenging.”

Ryo bowed low and hid the smile behind his mask as he turned to walk back to the hospital. ‘That man’, he thought to himself, ‘Is full of surprises’.

“Ryo.” Sasori’s voice rang out unusually loud in the confined corridor, as he looked back over his shoulder at the Anbu. “Thank you.”

Ryo bowed low, a smile behind his mask once more before leaving. “It was my pleasure Sasori Sama.”

“This wasn’t here in my time.” Sakura placed her other hand on Sasori’s arm as they walked side by side down, what had Ryo called it, ‘The corridor of death’.

“I wouldn’t have dismantled my traps before leaving the village. I would assume either Rasa or Gaara would have sealed it off from the rest of the village for security reasons either by filling it in or making it inaccessible.” He murmured, while concentrating.

“Be careful where you step dear, the next trap is chakra triggered senbon.” He smiled pleasantly at her.

“Poisoned too no doubt.” She rolled her eyes but laughed playfully up at him.

Sasori smiled down at her. “Of course.”

‘This feels like a date’, she hummed to herself as she adjusted her hold on his arm. ‘You’ve never really been on a date before. Having dinner in the mess hall surrounded by 200 other nin didn’t count’, she grumbled silently.

Sasori could feel the tension in her arm as they walked further down the sandy path together. She was thinking again, he knew, he did the same thing. He wondered what she was thinking about.

“You need not worry about Rasa dear. He will be fine once he has time to process what happened between you.” Sasori tried to do something he had never done before for anyone, comfort her.

“What makes you think something happened between us?” Sakura bit her bottom lip self consciously.

“I saw the plates remember and I was present when you turned him down.” Sasori patted her hand gently. 

“He didn’t try to force himself on you did he?” Sasori stopped to look down at her, the thought hadn’t even occurred to him until now. Rasa was an ass and used to getting his way but he wasn’t a brute, however...he had seen the way his brother had looked at the woman when she wasn’t looking…

“What? No!” Sakura said a little too loudly, making Sasori raise his brow at her in question.

Sakura blushed. “He stopped, when I told him to stop.” She looked down at her feet embarrassed.

“Ah.” Sasori didn’t need or want her to elaborate, he didn’t need to know how far his brother had gotten before she had told him to stop.

“I did wonder, you know, why you chose to favor him with your attention. That morning we found you in bed with him...” Sasori said casually, testing her mood on the topic before continuing to ask what he really wanted to ask her.

“I was lonely and missing...my Gaara.” She said quietly. “Having my old sensei’s headband just reminded me of how much I didn’t belong here, I suppose...I wanted to feel again, like I belonged.”

She shrugged. “It was foolish of me to use Rasa like that. I needed comfort and he reminded me so much of my Gaara that I...it was wrong for me… to pretend.” 

“I understand.” Sasori did understand. He understood how loneliness could drive you to do terrible things...Komushi’s face popped into his head and he squeezed her arm quite unconsciously making her look up at him.

“What is it?” She asked, her eyes a darker green as they picked their way down the path to the next trap.

“I had a teammate once. His name was...Komushi. He died, from my poison, it was an accident.” Sasori told her slowly. He had never told anyone the true story. No one had ever asked him, they had all just assumed...the worst of him. He swallowed. Even Granny Chyio didn’t understand and she knew more than most about what had happened.

“I made him into a puppet.” Sasori took a deep calming breath. “His mother...she was pleading for him to be brought back, she…”

Sakura looked up at the man beside her like she had never seen him before. This was a side of him no one knew she realized. Everyone feared the man, the shinobi, but no one knew the human, the person behind the puppets…’this’, she told herself, ‘Is the real man’.

“So I made him into a human puppet for her. I brought him back for her, but it wasn’t ...” Sasori’s voice trailed off. Why was he telling her this...

“It wasn’t really what she had wanted was it?” Sakura looked up at him, willing him to continue, wanting him to talk to her more...to express himself.

“No.” He replied, his lips barely moving.

“Parents losing their children, children losing their parents...that’s what it is to be shinobi.” He looked down at her. “Such a pointless profession.”

Sakura’s eyes widened in surprise, then softened as she continued to look up at him. His eyes looked so sad and so…”I understand Sasori.” 

Her voice was soft, like the silken strands of candy color hair that floated around her face and brushed against his arm where it was locked in place with hers.

“Do you.” He whispered, a statement laced with finality. He knew she did…

Sakura opened her mouth to speak again but awareness gripped Sasori, his chakra strings flew from his fingertips, wrapped around her waist and flung her high up into the air. “Hold to the side, this will only take a moment.”

Sakura pushed chakra to her hands and feet, locking herself against the walls of the corridor looking down at the red hair darting back and forth, chakra strings swirling gracefully around his person.

Poisoned senbon exploded around him, his multitude of strings were a blur as he deflected each and every pin point of flying death. Sakura watched in open mouthed appreciation at the grace below her, he was a marvel this man. Her cheeks blushed with admiration for him.

Sakura dropped to the ground beside him again as the last two senbon hit the ground. “You’re amazing, that was incredible. I never knew you were so fast.” She frowned. “You really were holding back when we fought, when you let me kill you. Why would you do that?”

Sasori smirked. “I can imagine a few reasons. Come, we’re almost at the end. He took her hand and pulled it through his arm once more pulling her along with him at a steady pace.

Sakura could see the light ahead, feel the warmth of the desert sun seeping into the dark cold of the corridor as they approached the end of the path. She sighed in relief and heard Sasori chuckle beside her.

“You don’t think I would let an enemy see the end of the corridor without one last trap do you dear?” His voice flew over her head and he flipped back and over her deflecting the heavy mass of magnet sand with his Third Kazekage puppet, landing lightly behind her with a smirk at her gasp.

Sakura took an involuntary step back away from the Third Kazekage puppet, stumbled and fell on her ass. Sasori chuckled again amused and she scowled.

“A little warning next time.” She dusted the sand and dirt from her bum as she scrambled up onto her feet again casting a wary glance at the looming puppet over his shoulder.

“You’re not fond of him I see.” Sasori couldn’t resist the snort of amusement that escaped his nose as he watched her glare over his shoulder at his most prized possession.

“Considering you came close to killing me with him ...no.” She bit back the snarl that curled her lips as her eyes continued to narrow at the puppet that had almost strangled, gassed and crushed her to death in their last meeting.

Sasori’s eyes danced as he looked at her. This woman had not only seen and fought his most dangerous puppet but had lived to hate him for it. 

“Huh?” Sakura looked away from the puppet to it’s master in confusion at the unusual expression on his face..

“It's interesting to witness your reaction to something I haven’t experienced with you yet.” He refused to elaborate not trusting himself to hold back his more intimate thoughts and feelings she aroused in him.

“I meant it when I told you it was one of the most terrifying experiences in my life, but one I am very grateful to have had. It’s almost surreal being here with you, being able to talk to you about...ah well and when we interrogated those Kumo nin together and you let me...um, I guess I’m just…” She didn’t know how to put her feelings into words.

“I’ve never met anyone like you before.” She smiled down at her feet, then up again, the light of the desert sun making her eyes sparkle as she looked at him.

Sasori swallowed and looked away drawing his puppet in and around him defensively. Sakura noticed the action and giggled, he was a man, a master but also...shy? 

Shy was not the first word that came to Sakura’s mind when thinking of the dangerous man but here, now in this light he was...innocent and open for her eyes to see.

“Have you made them yet? Your 100 Red puppets?” She asked to break the silence that had followed their last exchange.

“100 red puppets? No, tell me about them.” He took her hand again, he felt better talking with her when they touched, he felt more connected, grounded...and she didn’t seem to mind, or notice when he touched her as though it were only natural that he do so.

“When we fought, Granny Chiyo brought out The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets, and in response you brought out your Performance of a Hundred Puppets.” Sakura laughed.

“You had over one hundred chakra strings in your right chest compartment to control them with it was...terrifying beyond anything you had displayed before. I suspect their will was attached to your core, there wasn’t the usual delay between their movements and what you wanted them to do.” She explained.

“Really?” He was fascinated and impressed she had been so observant under pressure in their battle to take in such details. He had only just begun to contemplate such thoughts, to find out he had accomplished his goals and to such a degree was..inspiring. He chuckled at the irony.

“Tell me more, how did they perform? Were their movements fluid?” He prodded her for more information about his future self.

“You claimed you had brought down an entire country with your technique, and I don’t doubt it. While these one hundred puppets lacked teamwork, they used sheer attrition and numbers to overwhelm their opponents.”

“Even when they decrease in numbers they did not become less dangerous as it merely allowed you to focus more on the remaining puppets.” Sakura looked up at him and saw the calculations racing through his mind.

“You even took out some of Granny Chiyo’s White puppets who could work in tandem with one another.” Sakura smiled at his smirk, he was pleased with himself. “Of course, I think you only created them after you had turned yourself into a puppet, how else would you be able to control them when only ten strings can be attached to your fingers now, one for each finger and thumb.” 

Sasori frowned, yes, he had thought of that...before her arrival and had already begun to come up with a solution to that problem. Sakura could see the thoughts in his head as they raced across his unguarded face. A flicker of unease swept over her heart leaving her blood cold.

“Sasori.” She pulled on the tips of his fingers with her own to get his attention.

“Hum?” He looked at her distractedly.

“I prefer you as you are now, human, don’t make the same mistakes you made in my time. You don’t need to leave your humanity behind. You’re already perfect.” Sakura told him with such sincerity it made her blush but she held his gaze...he needed to know, to know that…

“You’re not alone.” She whispered. “I don’t want to be alone again.”

“You presume too much girl.” He didn’t know what to say… how he felt, so he…

“Don’t push me away.” She held his arm firmly with hers willing him to accept her words.

Sasori scoffed, but something moved behind his eyes and she had seen it. Satisfied she released his arm and smiled. 

“Show me the desert.” She spun on her heel and raced off into the sand leaving him to follow as he liked.

Sasori stood rooted where she had left him watching her run off, out into the desert blinking. 

“Stupid girl.” He muttered, walking slowly out into the hot sun, following her.


	35. Chapter 35

Gaara sat on the edge of the highest plateau overlooking the desert on the Eastern side of the village. He could feel both his Uncle Sasori’s faint chakra signature and that of his mother’s moving steadily away from the village and wondered where they were going. His mom seemed to be leading the pair so he sat back leaning his weight against his arms and waited for her to return.

He could feel the agitated chakra of his father’s pacing back and forth in his office and wondered what had happened. His father had been with his mother in her office before his Uncle had arrived but left soon after...angry. Gaara closed his eyes and found the chakra signature of Ryo, the Anbu who had been ordered to watch over his mother as her private Anbu. He smiled to himself. He had agreed full heartedly with the decision to add to her protection even though he thought himself completely capable of protecting her.

Megumu’s civilian presence was puttering around in the cottage gardens. He had noticed she had started spending more and more time at the cottage with him while his mother worked at the hospital. Normally he didn’t like people around him, but Megumu wasn’t like other people. She was nice to him and didn’t scream anymore or try to leave the room when he entered.

Gaara could feel his mother’s chakra signature drop to near nothing and smiled. His Uncle had probably told her to suppress her chakra but Gaara could still feel her. He could feel most everyone’s chakra, suppressed or not.

His Uncle Sasori was an odd man, he had always thought this. He didn’t yell at Gaara or try to control him like the others. He didn’t talk to him like a child or tell him he wouldn’t understand when Gaara asked him questions. Gaara had secretly always liked his Uncle Sasori the most but his Uncle Yashamaru was the nicer of the two and had taken care of him the most so they were closer by default.

Gaara didn’t mind his mother spending so much time with his Uncle Sasori. He wished she would spend more time with his father but Shukaku had told him that wasn’t a good idea. The tanuki didn’t like her spending time with his Uncle Sasori though either, in fact, it confused the tanuki as to why the woman would welcome the man’s attentions at all. Shukaku had told Gaara, his Uncle’s other self in her dreams, had tried to kill her.

Perhaps it was one of those adult things everyone always talked about. Shukaku snorted constantly in his head, trying to get him to push for something more than hugs with Sakura but Gaara ignored the raccoon. He just wanted a mother, he didn’t understand the tanuki’s urgency or needs, so he ignored him.

It was only one more month until the Chunin exams. Gaara was excited. He hoped his father would let him go this year with Sakura. He hadn’t been allowed to go before in case he lost control of the demon inside of him. Only since Sakura had arrived had he been able to learn more about what made people scared of him, about his tailed beast. No one was allowed to talk about it, he had been told by Megumu one day when he had asked her. Before Sakura, no one would tell him anything. Before Sakura his tailed beast only talked to him, to torment him, but now, they talked all the time.

Gaara swung his little feet over the side of the cliff and waited for his mother, for Sakura to return to the village with his Uncle. He knew she would return, he wasn’t worried. She had promised him that she would stay with him, forever. He trusted her, so did Shukaku.

Rasa walked down the road toward the hospital. He couldn’t feel Sakura’s chakra signature or that of his brother’s but he wasn’t too bothered by it. Sasori often cloaked his signature in or out of the village, perhaps he had advised Sakura to do the same since the attack. Jumping to the roof of the hospital he landed beside Ryo who nodded and bowed to him.

“Is Sakura in her office?” Rasa asked, he had looked in the window but hadn’t seen her at her desk.

A pause...Ryo bowed low again, not sure how the Kazekage would receive the news that Sakura was with his brother, outside of the walls of the village in the desert. He had heard their argument earlier and knew that things were not...well, between the three.

“Lady Sakura is in the desert with Sasori Sama, she attempted to traverse the hidden corridor alone Kazekage Sama, after you left earlier today and I followed her. We came to Sasori Sama’s first trap…” Ryo was cut off by a gasp from the Kazekage.

“She’s in the corridor of death alone, you left her alone?” Rasa took a step toward the edge of the roof but Ryo continued.

“Sasori Sama is with her Kazekage Sama. He dismantled the first trap with ease and led her through the rest safely. They are in the desert beyond the East wall. Sasori Sama sent me back to the hospital to wait for them to return.” Ryo waved at the seemingly endless sand in front of them.

“I see.” Rasa stood with his hands clasped behind his back. “I had warned her not to go in there, I was going to show it to her later but I got...things came up…” 

Ryo didn’t know if the Kazekage was speaking to him or himself so he merely nodded and waited.

“How long have they been gone?” Rasa asked Ryo mentally counting back the hours.

“Two hours Kazekage Sama. It took them near on thirty minutes to disable the remaining traps before Lady Sakura ran out into the desert.” Ryo bowed again.

“Ran out into the desert?” Rasa laughed.

“Lady Sakura is very unusual.” Ryo inclined his head to the Kazekage. “It is not an insult, just an observation Kazekage Sama.”

“Yes, unusual.” Rasa nodded, and strong willed. He smiled to himself and shook his head.

Rasa sighed. “Thank you Ryo, please let me know when they return to the village so I know she is safe.”

Ryo bowed again in compliance as Rasa hopped down from the roof and made his way back to his office. Lady Sakura was unusual...yes. Ryo turned his eyes back out toward the desert waiting for his Lady to return with her...friend, who was also...unusual.

“What did you use on the Kumo nin last night to interrogate them Sasori?” Sakura asked as they walked back to the village together.

“Genjutsu.” He said absently, his eyes cast upward toward the clouds. There were a few large fluffy ones floating overhead, rare for the desert.

“I didn’t know you were proficient in genjutsu.” Sakura frowned, thinking back to everything Kankuro had told her about his elusive Uncle when they had gone together to retrieve his core and other puppet parts.

“Why would you? You only fought me once and I allowed you to kill me, you wouldn’t know everything about me from one battle.” Sasori smirked at her knowingly.

“Oh.” She realized what he was saying. “It wasn’t common knowledge then, or now either I suppose.”

“Why tell me then? Wouldn’t it have been easy just to tell me you used a poison or some other form of torture on them to keep your secrets?” She asked him curiously.

“I don’t lie unless I want to, or feel the need to. Do I need to lie to you?” He asked her a serious question of his own.

Sakura walked a few more paces keeping her shoulder in line with his, keeping pace…”No, your secrets are safe with me.” She hummed pleased with their conversation.

“I know, or I wouldn’t have bothered telling you.” He kept his eyes forward, he knew she was looking at him and he didn’t know how to meet her eyes after such an...intimate exchange.

‘Was he just, did he just say he trusts me?’, Sakura stared at the man beside her, the legend, and smiled.

Trust might be strong of a word for shinobi like them but Sakura felt a new connection forming none the less and smiled at the thought.

Gaara was waiting for them at the garden gate when Sasori walked her back to her cottage. He nodded to his Uncle, grabbed Sakura’s hand and raised his arms in the air.

“You’re getting too big for this baby.” Sakura laughed and pulled the little boy up into her arms and kissed him on top of the head.

“What’s for dinner Ka San?” Gaara nuzzled Sakura’s neck and peeked out from under the curtain of her hair at his Uncle.

“I’m going to be having dinner with your Uncle tonight Gaara, but I’m sure Megumu would be happy to make something for the two of you. Maybe you could even help her make dinner, that would be fun wouldn’t it?” Sakura squeezed the little boy affectionately and kissed the corner of his mouth just as he began to frown at his Uncle.

“You’ve been with Uncle Sasori all day already. Stay home tonight. You need to stay home with me.” Gaara glared at his Uncle from under the cover of Sakura’s hair looking much like a disgruntled porcupine.

“I haven’t been with him all day darling. I had two surgeries this morning remember? Then your Uncle and I went for a small walk in the desert. He helped me with something earlier, I want to have dinner with him to repay him for his kindness.” Sakura pulled Gaara’s little arms from around her neck and set the boy down on the ground.

“Please Gaara?” She bent over and kissed him on the head again. “If you don’t make a fuss and show me your understanding, you can sleep with me tonight okay?”

“Really?” Gaara smiled widely and stuck his finger in his mouth.

“Really.” Sakura ruffled his spiky locks and winked at him.

Gaara turned to his Uncle. “Don’t be out all night and ruin that for me too.” Sand dropped to the ground at their feet and the little boy disappeared.

“As bratty as ever I see.” Sasori rolled his eyes at the child’s warning.

“He isn’t a brat.” Sakura put her hand on her hip and gave Sasori a censored look.

“Of course not...why people wish to procreate is beyond me…” Sasori muttered, turning away from Sakura’s glare.

“You don’t want to have children?” Sakura asked him.

The words were on the tip of his tongue…’Of course not, life sucking little leeches’, but he couldn’t bring himself to voice his opinion with those green eyes of hers boring into him...he coughed. “Not right now.”

“I hadn’t ever seriously thought of having children, until I had become involved with Gaara. Not seriously anyway.” Sakura pushed open the gate of her garden and walked inside motioning Sasori to follow her into the cottage.

“You would make a good mother.” Sasori watched her hips sway back and forth as she walked, his mouth moving before his brain could stop it.

Sakura turned, her cheeks flushed. “Do you think so?”

Sasori nodded not trusting himself again. ‘Damn this woman’, he growled at himself, it wasn’t her fault but damned if he had this sort of problem around anyone but her. Forcibly he molded his face into a blank look of indifference.

“You’re good with the little raccoon brat.” He waved his hand at Gaara who was peeking at them from around the corner of the kitchen door.

Sakura turned and looked to where he had indicated and smiled, then frowned. “Stop calling him a brat.” Sakura held her arms out to Gaara and he ran to her hugging her and kissing her face.

‘Brat’, Sasori didn’t say the word but he thought it as he looked down at his nephew’s too satisfied face as the pinkette kissed his mouth and cheeks while Sasori watched.

“Gaara Sama.” Megumu came out of the kitchen, wet rag in hand and stopped to bow to Sasori.

“Sasori Sama, forgive me, I did not know you were here with Sakura Sama.” Megumu looked from Sakura to Sasori. “Will you be eating with Gaara Sama and I? He had said you were having dinner with Sasori Sama.”

“I will be. I just wanted to change my clothes before we um.” Sakura turned to Sasori. “Were we going to get take out like you said earlier?”

“Yes, I think that would be best. Allow me to leave you for a moment while you change. I would like to change myself and I left something in my lab I would like to ...seal before we eat. I didn’t have the opportunity before I joined you in the corridor of death earlier.” Sasori excused himself leaving Sakura to answer her maid’s questions.

“The corridor of death?” Megumu asked Sakura , eyes wide, after Sasori Sama had left.

“Uh, it’s nothing.” Sakura waved her maid away cursing Sasori silently as she closed the door of her bathroom to wash before he came back to get her for dinner.

She was just tying her hair up when she heard voices in the living room. “That was quick.” Sakura said as she came around the corner of the short hallway to find Rasa standing in the middle of the room holding a letter.

“Sakura. We have received the entry form from Kumo. Originally they declined to send any Genin to participate in this year’s Chunin exams but...they have changed their mind, they will be sending three teams to participate in the Fall.” Rasa handed her the letter with a frown.

Sakura looked up from the letter to see Sasori standing beside his brother watching her read. “When did you get here?” She was still amazed how she could never sense him at all.

“When you were reading. Did I hear you correctly brother? Kumo wants to send three teams for the Chunin exams that are to be held in a month?” Sasori turned a bland eye to his brother in inquiry.

“Yes.” Rasa took the letter back from Sakura when she held it out to him.

“Are you going to let them enter their teams for competition? Isn’t it past the deadline for entry?” Sakura asked Rasa.

“Of course not.” Sasori said at the same time Rasa nodded and said “Yes.”

“You can't be serious…” Sasori looked at his brother disgusted, yet his face showed nothing more than a passing annoyance.

“It would cast a shadow over our future negotiations, Sasori. This is a political move, not a personal one. I came to tell Sakura why I was going to let them participate and that they were going to be in Suna for the exams so she wasn’t surprised.” Rasa rubbed his hand through his hair. 

He had come early hoping to avoid telling her in front of his brother, he knew Sasori wouldn’t agree with his decision. He didn’t want his brother’s paranoia to infect Sakura. She could be reasoned with, he knew, but not if his brother was around filling her head with his unwarranted logic.

“Political, yes I see that Rasa. They send in not one but four shinobi into our village, under disguise I might add, to abduct by force our head medic. Political?” Sasori raised his voice only slightly but Rasa saw it for the threat it was.

“Brother, you are not the Kazekage. This is my decision to make, not yours. Kumo is a strong village, we need to stay friendly with them.” Rasa argued.

“Friendly? You mean yield to them, because if you allow their Genin and their Jounin teachers to accompany them into this village Rasa that is exactly what you will be doing and all of the other hidden villages will see it as such...particularly Kumo. They won’t even bother to hide their next attempt to abduct Sakura, why should they when you open the doors to your village to them willingly after their first secret attempt?” Sasori moved to stand beside Sakura.

“You willingly put her life in danger for what Rasa, political favor? Nothings changed, you’re still the same selfish brat you were when we were children.” Sasori tucked Sakura’s hand in his arm and led her out of the cottage effectively ending the conversation.

“Thank you Sasori.” Sakura said once they were clear of the garden gate and on the main street heading for the market.

“For?” Sasori asked her, looking down at her.

“For sticking up for me?” Sakura turned her head and up to look at his face. He had looked angry a moment ago but now his face was the familiar passive bored face she had been used to.

“It isn’t just about you, but that is a large factor, In my opinion. It is about pride and dignity, two of the things Rasa seems to have forgotten along the way to becoming the Kazekage.”

“He’s always been a fool, but I never thought he was that weak...until now.” Sasori was disgusted with his brother for even considering letting Kumo submit Genin for the Chunin exam.

“Three teams, each with their Jounin instructor.” Sasori muttered as they walked.

“A full Jounin team, with their Genin and will full access to the village.” Sakura added, picking up his line of thought.

“With foreigners and visiting nin from other villages, it is a disaster waiting to happen.” He nodded when she sighed.

“Are they allied with Iwa currently? I forget when Kumo and Iwa formed their alliance. I was Gaara’s age now, so I don’t know.” She asked.

Sasori stopped and looked at her, then started walking again with a snort of apology. “They are not allied with Iwa...yet.” He rolled this new information over in his head.

“How many Genin teams did Iwa reply with?” Sakura asked.

“Three.” Sasori snorted.

“I see.” Sakura nodded. “Should we tell Rasa or…” She waved her hand dismissively leaving it open ended on purpose.

“You saw what happened just now dear, do you think telling him Iwa will be assisting their soon to be allied friends in Kumo will win us our argument?” He looked at her with amusement dancing in his eyes.

“No.” She conceded. “We have to do something though. I don’t particularly like the idea of two different hidden villages working together to abduct me.”

Sasori’s grip on her arm tightened. “You don’t need to worry about that my dear. No one will touch you with Gaara and I around, no matter how weak Rasa is...we are not...and neither are you.” 

Sasori took her chin in his hand. “Are you?”

“Definitely not.” Sakura smiled at him and he nodded.

“That’s my girl.” Sasori laid his other hand over hers and pulled her under the curtain of a dumpling stand.

Night fell around them as they ate their dumplings on the Eastern wall of the village. Few words had been spoken since their last exchange and Sasori wondered if he had perhaps said something wrong or if she was, like him, lost in her own head. It must have been the latter because when she spoke it was of things to come that had already passed in her time.

“Thinking of Kumo and their alliance with Iwa, that had yet to be formed, it makes me wonder...what is my obligation here as someone who knows what will come to pass?” She asked him.

“I would think the obligation and it’s consideration depends wholly on you my dear.” Sasori set his empty plate down on the wall giving her his full attention.

“What do you mean?” She furrowed her brow at his words.

“Who do you feel obligated to? Is it Konoha because you were a Konoha kunoichi, and do you still consider yourself to be a Konoha kunoichi?” He asked.

“Well.” She tapped her finger on her leg in thought. “I suppose I feel a limited obligation to them, I was a loyal Konoha nin, but...I’m not now and I know that.” She was trying to reason it out in her head.

“I chose to stay in Suna. I could have gone to Konoha like Kakashi said, but I didn’t. So I suppose I have an obligation to Suna now.” She turned and looked at him to see what he thought.

Sasori nodded. “True. You chose to stay, but that isn’t what you're asking is it? You’re asking if you have a moral obligation to tell Konoha something that is going to happen, something bad am I correct?”

Sakura nodded. “Yes, but I don’t know how much that will affect the future, or Suna for that matter.”

“Ah, you are worried by helping your old village, you might condemn your new one?” He asked her, taking one of her hands in his and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles slowly as they continued to talk.

“Yes, you see in three years a clan will be wiped out in Konoha and I know who...I mean I think I can stop it but also...I know something about Suna and I just wonder if by stopping the massacre will I condemn Suna by giving Konoha those shinobi who will make the Suna defeat even greater.” She slowly lifted her eyes to his but couldn’t bring herself to smile.

“Tell me.” He said simply.

So she did. She told him about Danzo and the Uchiha massacre, about Itachi and Shisui Uchiha, about...Orochimaru and Sasuke. Sasori listened to her with great interest, particularly about how Rasa dies and how this Orochimaru kills the Third Hokage during what would be her Chunin exams in the future.

When she finished telling him everything she thought he needed to know she took a deep breath. “It’s like I’m floating. I don’t really belong here and yet, I can’t go anywhere else.”

She laughed embarrassed by her words. “It’s ridiculous I know. I sound so...pathetic sometimes it’s so…” She waved her hand in the air dismissing whatever she may have said laughing again and looking down at her feet draped over the side of the cliff wall.

“It isn’t ridiculous.” Sasori said softly. “You feel alone. I understand.”

...and again she thought, ‘He does understand, maybe he’s the only one.’.

“It’s so surreal.” She repeated herself from earlier that day. “I fought you, you tried to kill me and I killed you and yet in the end I felt this connection with you and I...I felt like it wasn’t over, that maybe...we would see one another again. It was a ridiculous thought yet, here we are and...you were my greatest enemy and now, you’re the only one who I feel, truly understands me.” 

Sakura looked down at her hand in his and smiled. “I used to have nightmares about our battle, you plagued my dreams for years and now you…” She coughed to hide her embarrassment.

“Now I what, dear?” Sasori reached out and brushed the hair back from her face with the back of his free hand.

“Now you no longer haunt my dreams but…” She paused. 

“But?” He prompted her, wanting her to continue, willing her to tell him the dream she had last night, the dream that had her moaning and whimpering had been for him, about him…

“But, you’re, I…” She closed her eyes, willing herself to tell him, to explain it better to…

A gentle tug of his fingers laced with hers had her leaning forward, the back of his hand turned and his palm cupped her cheek.

“I want all of your dreams from now on, to be of me.” Sasori leaned forward, his top lip brushed her bottom lip. He felt her exhale and he pulled her closer, pressing both of his lips to her mouth before he could stop himself, before he could think ‘this is a bad idea’, he kissed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have some deleted scenes that I didn't put in if anyone is interested in reading them let me know I'll post them when the fic is finished.


	36. Chapter 36

_“Ah, you are worried by helping your old village, you might condemn your new one?”_

Sasori’s words came back to her as she lay in bed with Gaara’s little body curled up into a ball beside her, his little paws tangled in her hair and his lips smacking in his sleep against her ear.

Sasori had walked her home after dinner. He had kissed her again at the gate of her garden. He was perfect.

Part of her screamed how wrong it was, this was the man who had helped kill Gaara and yet, he wasn’t. This Sasori was nothing like the other Sasori who had been a puppet, his humanity lost only to be restored to him...in the end.

Perhaps she hadn’t been sent back just for the ones she loved and for those who loved her. Perhaps she had been sent back for herself as well...was this the life she had always wanted but never had the chance to have? She could only hope. ...but why her and who would give her such an opportunity, who was powerful enough to grant her such favor...

Gaara’s soft spiky hair tickled her cheek and she frowned. Thirteen years was a long time and yet it wasn’t long enough. War would be on their doorstep in thirteen years and her whole world would fall apart all over again…

In the meantime, Kumo was trying to abduct her for her healing skills. Orochimaru was planning to use Suna to infiltrate the Leaf and kill The Lord Third. Danzo was plotting the Uchiha massacre and the Akatsuki were still at large. Too much. It was too much for her to do alone.

Sakura rolled over onto her side, hugged Gaara’s little body to her own and buried her nose in the top of his head. For now, she would sleep, tomorrow was a new day...she would make a list and prioritize. “I love you Gaara.” She whispered into the red locks that tickled her nose and closed her eyes.

_‘You’re lips are sweet as they touch mine but will you kill me? She said kill me…’ The melody was soft as the words flowed like water through her head._

_“Who?” Sakura pushed her hair back from her face and sat up. She was in the field again, the beautiful field full of flowers. The world was whole again, serene. Sakura stood up and stretched, her arms above her head and smiled into the warm summer sun. Summer...but it wasn’t summer, not really, Fall was coming._

_A bright flash of light, blinding in its intensity cut through the suddenly dark night…’night’, her mind raced to keep up with her visual surroundings._

_“I’m dreaming.” She told herself, her arms hugging her chest, the rapidly dropping temperatures around her making her shiver._

_“Come dear.”_

_She turned, Sasori stood just a few paces away from her, Rasa’s head in his hands, his fingers gripping the spiky dark auburn locks in his fist._

_“Rasa!” Sakura screamed but no sound came out._

_“A betrayal, easily remedied dear, come, now, there is no time.” Sasori’s voice began to fade, replaced by the tinkling of bells._

_“Wait!” Sakura ran to him but no matter how hard she pushed her legs, she couldn’t grasp his hand._

_‘Is that your choice’, the melodic voice of ‘that’ woman met her ears._

_“Choice?” Sakura turned from the spot Sasori had vanished from right before her eyes._

_‘You would choose a known enemy above your comrades’, the woman’s voice was soft, soothing, familiar._

_“Sasori is not my enemy.” Sakura clenched her fists at her sides._

_‘Love is eternal, time is endless’, the voice sang in her ear._

_“I don’t understand.” Sakura cried out her hand over her heart, please, I don’t understand what you mean, what you want from me.” She fell to her knees, the weight of her emotions too great a burden to bear._

_‘Child, your soul is pure, your heart is light, be happy’, a hand, soft and cool velvety to the touch ran down the side of Sakura’s temple and cupped her cheek affectionately._

_‘Come to me at the end, save me as you have saved them, healing is from the soul, the heart, the blood, not the hands dear, trust yourself like you were never able to before, trust him, love...is eternal’_

_Sakura raised her head slowly, the weight that impeded her reducing with every gasp and every twitch of her fingers. “Who are you?” She bowed her head in respect, but her eyes rose with wonder as she looked at the woman before her, the same woman as before in multiple layers of kimonos._

_‘I am Kaguya and I need your help’, the woman vanished and Sakura fell back to the ground, back into her body, back into bed...little Gaara still curled up at her side with the smell of wood oil and cinnamon in her nose._

“Kaguya…” The name escaped her lips as she drifted aimlessly in her sleep. 

Gaara opened his eyes, the sound of Shukaku’s voice whispering in his head as he looked at his mother’s face while she slept.

“I’ll help you Ka San. I’ll protect you.” Gaara promised Sakura, his nose nudging the bottom of her chin, Shukaku’s cries ringing in his ear about Rabbit goddesses, the end of the world and one Madara Uchiha, names the boy had never heard of, could care very little for...except they concerned his mother, so he listened...and Shukaku talked...and talked and talked…

‘I promise Shukaku’, Gaara promised the tanuki and only then did the voices stop, only then did they let him rest in the warm embrace of his mother, of his mate, his Sakura.

“Here are the weekly reports for the hospital. I took the liberty of color coding all of the patient files. Civilians are now white and shinobi are now red and kept in separate file cabinets in my office, sealed and under my personal protection.” Sakura laid the reports in three separate folders on Rasa’s desk and stepped back.

Rasa grimaced. “There’s no need to be so formal Sakura. I’d still like to speak with you, there are things that were left unsaid between us and…”

Rasa rubbed his chin and looked down at the folders she had set on his desk thinking hard. He needed to get her alone to explain himself to make her see that...he was better suited for her than his brother. His Anbu had told him they had dinner, they had talked and his brother had walked her home at a decent hour.

He was sure Sasori knew they had been followed as sure as he was Sasori had allowed them to be followed. Rasa knew he had to make his move fast or he would lose what little foot hold he possessed with the woman. His brother, his damned brother...always, always….

“Lunch, have lunch with me today, please.” He added the please, just like she had told him to.

Sakura smiled a sort of forced smile. “Rasa, you didn’t do anything wrong. I meant it when I said the fault was my own. Your similarities to my own Gaara were no excuse for me to...I gave you the wrong impression, intentional or not...I’m sorry. We can have lunch, but only as friends or as medic and Kazekage.” 

Her words laid heavy along the floor between them, separating them. “Sakura.” Rasa began again but was interrupted by his damn brother…

“Yashamaru hasn’t returned from border patrol Rasa. I’m sending out two search teams, I thought you should know.” Sasori had walked slowly into the room speaking each word with each step, stopping beside Sakura, his body aligned with hers, their hands almost touching at his side...making his claim clear.

Rasa’s eyes narrowed. “Thank you Sasori. I hope they find him or at least have something to report by lunch time. Let me know. I will not be in my office however, Sakura and I are having lunch together today, you can report to me...after. If there is anything to report.”

Sasori’s hand twitched at his side, brushing up against Sakura’s making her look down. His pinky finger was curled up to hers, hooked ever so slightly, she blushed and a small smile fell across her lips quite unconsciously.

“Of course brother, after lunch then.” Sasori turned, the bottoms of his robes swished across Sakura’s ankles as he left the office, his scent surrounding her like a blanket. She sighed.

“Lunch.” Rasa came from around the back of his desk to look down into Sakura’s eyes. “I’ll meet you at your office?”

“Uh yes, thank you Rasa.” Sakura ducked her head and left his office with the blush from Sasori’s touch still on her cheeks, her bottom lips caught between her teeth.

Ryo stood at the edge of the roof and watched his pink haired charge walk down the steps of the Kazekage’s office building. He watched the red head of the Puppet Master turn and watch her walk up the steps of the hospital across the street and he leapt to the hospital roof to turn and watch the Kazekage watch the redhead turn and meet his stare. ‘This isn’t good’, he told himself as he repositioned his guard over the top of Sakura’s office.

True to his word Rasa met Sakura in her office for lunch and was relieved to find her alone. He had half expected his brother to be there trying to lay claim to the woman again. 

Several times since that night she had told him to stop. He had replayed their encounter over in his head trying to figure out where he had gone wrong. Never before had a woman told him to stop, never before had he had to control his baser urges and...hold back. It wasn’t something he was used to, wanted or appreciated, but she was worth it to him and so...he had stopped when she had told him to.

Rasa regretted that decision now. Perhaps if he hadn't stopped, if he had taken her then, he wouldn’t be here now trying to gain her favor from his brother. His talented brother, better than him in every way…

Rasa was an opportunist, he knew that himself and he knew he had let that opportunity pass him by. He knew this was all in vain, even as he turned the handle to her office door, and she looked up at him with those eyes, those beautiful green eyes...he knew he had already lost her.

...but he wanted her, more than he had ever wanted to bed his wife.

“Rasa.” Sakura smiled at the Kazekage as she looked up from the file folder in front of her.

“Sakura, how is your day going?” Rasa asked her, genuinely interested in how she was doing, pushing his more carnal thoughts from his head.

He had received many compliments and words of favor concerning their new head medic and was pleased she had been everything he had hoped she would be in her new position. She seemed to have been born for it. 

Under her guidance the hospital was more productive, cost efficient and more and more injured shinobi were returning to active duty healthier and healed more quickly than ever before. The council had voted as one body, the first time in Suna history, to provide an extra funding account for their new head medic in case she needed it. It had surprised even him.

Admittedly it was that course of action that had him grabbing the financial monthly report from the many binders on his shelves to look at their most recent financial statement ...she had saved him over 50 million ryo in the last thirty days, an unheard of amount of money.

He had of course gone to the hospital immediately and found that she had stopped the purchasing of foreign medicines, preferring to make them in house. She had taught and educated her nursing staff in the last month to make most of the medical simples they had previously purchased from neighboring villages paying nearly three times the cost that was required to make them...she was irreplaceable for many reasons. That was only one of them.

“I’ve looked over the reports from this morning, I’m pleased to see we are on target for the projected numbers for the month that you came up with according to the means of the last thirty days, is this what is going to be the expected gross from now on?” He flipped open one of the folders she had given his earlier and finger pointed to a black number at the bottom.

“Double it actually, that was a minimum projection, the actual expected rate is double Rasa. Did you turn the paper over?” She smiled warmly at him, not sarcastically like his brother would have when pointing out one of his flaws.

“Uh.” Rasa turned the paper over and his face blushed red.” I didn’t…”

“It’s okay, it took me a long time to figure this stuff out.” Sakura smiled at him.

Rasa smiled back, there wasn’t any judgement in her eyes, no condescension, and he relaxed.

“Lunch?” Sakura prompted closing the front of the file she had been working on when he had entered her office.

“Yes, we can go anywhere you wish.” Rasa inclined his head to his head medic.

“Let’s head to the market. I’m sure we’ll find something.” Sakura walked to the coat stand by her door and removed her lab coat replacing it with a plain hiyori Megumu had made her of dark grey and pastel pink.

“Did Megumu make that for you?” Rasa asked. He liked the colors on her, the grey brought out the fairness of her skin and the pink complemented her hair. Fall was coming but Sakura always reminded him of Spring when he looked at her.

“Yes, she is wonderful, thank you for sending her to me Rasa, she’s a good friend.” Sakura took the arm he offered her and they left the hospital side by side to many furtive looks from her staff.

They had almost made it to the market when Gaara appeared before them in a whirl of sand and wide eyes. “Ka San! Megumu.” He gasped for breath as he grabbed onto her pants pulling her toward the cottage.

“Megumu? What happened Gaara?” Sakura was running, the boy in her arms, Rasa right behind her.

“Flash bombs and then blood, so much blood Ka San.” Gaara called out loudly from under her arm as they ran through the garden gate to the cottage.

Megumu was in the kitchen on the floor, blood spattered the shelves and cabinets. Sakura thrust Gaara into Rasa’s arms, “Take him and go, please, he shouldn’t be here for this.”

Rasa nodded and disappeared in a whirl of gold sand with his son leaving Sakura to take care of her friend.

“Megumu, what happened?” Sakura bent over her maid, her hands glowing green healing the cuts and bruises that were already forming on her arms and legs.

“Gaara Sama called it a flash bomb, there was this light then the dishes exploded around me. I heard voices and they said your name. I think they were looking for you but when they realized you weren’t here, they left.” Megumu sat up, the cuts along her arms healed to watch Sakura heal the cuts on her legs.

“Your injuries though, these are not just from broken dishes Megumu.” Sakura took note of the slashes to her legs…”These are injuries from a blade.”

“Was Gaara with you when you were attacked?” Sakura asked as she healed the last of her maid’s cuts.

“No, he found me after. I told him what had happened and he ran to find you. Thank you Sakura Sama.” Megumu rose to her feet cautiously, then stumbled.

Sakura caught her under her arm and helped her to sit down in one of the kitchen table chairs. “Rest, I’ll make us some tea, then I want you to tell me if you can in greater detail everything you remember from your attack.”

Megumu nodded, for once not protesting that her Lady was waiting on her instead of her waiting on her Lady.

Rasa set Gaara down on a stool by one of the side tables in his office while he paced back and forth thinking. Someone had attacked Sakura’s maid, no doubt looking for Sakura. Who…

Gaara jumped down from the stool his father had placed him on to get a piece of paper, then hopped back up onto the stool as his Uncle Sasori entered his father’s office.

“I thought you were having lunch with Sakura?” Sasori’s bored voice filled the room.

“We were on the way to the market when Gaara came to fetch her, Megumu was attacked in their cottage.” Rasa took the folder Sasori held out to him and flipped it open.

“No sign of Yashamaru?” Rasa looked up from the papers and looked at his brother.

In that moment, they were once again brothers of Suna, Sakura and the tension she wrought between them, momentarily forgotten.

“Yashamaru is missing.” Rasa muttered

“Sakura’s maid was attacked.” Sasori added.

“It’s okay, it is supposed to be this way.” Gaara’s little voice came to both of the brothers as they turned to look at the little jinchuriki coloring innocently at the side table.

“What did you say brat?” Sasori raised an eyebrow at his nephew who blinked twice, dismissively at the name his Uncle had called him.

“I said.” Gaara repeated in measured tones. “It’s okay, it is supposed to be this way. That’s why she’s here, Sakura, why she sent her back.”

“Who is this woman that sent her, and why Sakura?” Sasori asked the same question he had been asking himself since Sakura’s arrival.

“It’s Kaguya.” Gaara said absently as he drew on his piece of paper.

“Kaguya?” Rasa asked his son.

“The Rabbit goddess?” Sasori said incredulously. 

“Nonsense.” He snorted.

“Shukaku says the Allied forces won the war, but that I died.” Gaara continued, ignoring his Uncle.

“The Allied forces?” Rasa asked curious about this war Sakura had been in.

“Uh huh, but Sakura doesn’t know.” Gaara added looking up from his drawing.

“You died?” Sasori’s own curiosity had been peaked and he leaned forward to listen to his nephew.

“Yup.” Gaara said cheerfully. “It doesn’t matter though. Shukaku says Sakura will save me, all of us. What happened is not what will happen now that Sakura is here with us. She will change the future.”

Sasori and his brother exchange a look, but only Sasori knew what the brat meant...he doubted Rasa had the first clue as to what was really going on.

Rasa was the first to speak again. “How will she do that?” He asked his son.

“She has Shukaku’s heart in her now, they can’t take him from me.” He smiled happily.

“The seal.” Sasori mumbled as if to himself.

“Yeah.” Gaara bent his head and continued drawing on his paper.

“Do you know why the Copy Nin was sent back to find Sakura Gaara?” Sasori asked his nephew who lifted his head with an inward sort of look on his face.

“Shukaku says.” Gaara paused. Rasa and Sasori realized...he was talking to the one tail…

“He wasn’t sent the same way Sakura was, he wasn’t chosen by the goddess. Sakura is the only one who can save us.” Gaara nodded as if to himself, satisfied.

Sasori hummed to himself, the boy hadn’t really answered his question but...

“The goddess is dying. She needs Sakura to heal her.” Gaara folded his paper up that he had been drawing on and ran out of the office.

“The goddess is dying?” Rasa said to no one in particular.

“How is Sakura supposed to heal a goddess?” Rasa asked his brother who also looked like he was deep in thought.

“Why send her back in time?” Sasori returned his brother’s question with one of his own. 

“...and does Sakura even know? I don’t think she does, she didn’t say anything about it to me, did she say anything to you?” Rasa asked his brother.

Sasori shook his head. “No.” That was between him and Sakura, Rasa need not know...yet if at all.

“I don’t think the question is how is Sakura supposed to heal a goddess but what happened to cause the goddess to require healing…” Sasori voiced his concerns.

“What will happen to Sakura if she can’t heal her?” Rasa added.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” Sasori rose from his chair, there was something he wished to check on before he spoke to Sakura with this new information.

Thumbing gently through his collection of books and tomes Sasori pulled out the oldest scroll in his possession and laid it gently on his reading table. With chakra strings, so he didn’t damage it’s pages, he opened the scroll an inch at a time. Slowly he scanned the column for the name he remembered from his youth.

“Found you.” He muttered sitting back, tapping his fingers on his knee. “Kaguya Otsutsuki. The Rabbit goddess.”


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> avidreader123, hope everything goes well!

Sasori found her in his greenhouse mixing a sleep aid for her maid.

“Make sure to use half of the amount of salvia you used before or you might put the poor woman in a coma dear.” Sasori slid up next to her as she mixed the herbs together in a beaker with her chakra, his hand gently brushing her waist. She didn’t even seem to notice his touch and he smiled. She was relaxed around him.

Sakura grimaced at his playful warning. “I don’t know what I was thinking that night. I have never made such a foolish mistake before.” The scent of fresh wood and cinnamon surrounded her, making her smile.

“No doubt you were distracted dear.” Sasori said smoothly as he watched her add ginkgo leaf and a pinch of lavender to her mix.

“She was sleeping restlessly when I left the cottage. This will help her sleep and in the morning I will question her again.” Sakura explained to him as she corked the vial and slipped it into her obi.

“What is it dear?” Sasori could tell there was something else on her mind.

“Megumu had slashes on her legs, and they weren’t from the broken dishes. I think she was attacked with more than a flash bomb, but she doesn’t seem to remember anything else.” Sakura told him.

“You think she may be compromised.” A statement, not a question.

Sakura nodded slowly. “I don’t want her hurt though.” Sakura warned him.

“Let her sleep tonight, give her your sleep aid and then in the morning like you said, we will question her, together.” Sasori patted her on the hand. 

If it had been anyone else he would have refused, he would have insisted on questioning them then and there, by the usual means...but this was Sakura and her maid. The target was Sakura, that much was clear to him, he would simply keep her close and question the maid in the morning with her as she had originally planned.

“I do not want you sleeping in the cottage with the woman tonight though, for your own protection. I will have an Anbu watch over her, so you don’t worry for your friend’s safety.” He added when he saw her start to protest.

“You will sleep in the main house tonight.” He took her hand and tucked it into his arm. “Let’s get that to your maid and then perhaps see if Gaara is ready for his dinner?”

“Don’t think I don’t know what you're doing?” Sakura raised an eyebrow to the Puppet Master as they walked out of his greenhouse and down the street toward her cottage.

“What am i doing dear?” Sasori pretended aloofness.

“You’re getting me to have dinner with you under the pretense of seeing if Gaara is hungry.” Sakura could have rolled her eyes at the man but refrained. ‘Is this how he flirts’, she asked herself and smiled internally at the thought.

“You were going to have dinner with the brat anyway, and now that you will be staying at the main house I see no reason for us not to eat together. Rasa will be there too.” He added as a clear after thought.

Sakura stiffened on his arm. “What’s wrong dear?”

“I still haven't gotten a chance to clear things up with your brother.” She said, a bit embarrassed.

“What needs to be cleared up, Rasa is a grown man, if he can’t handle rejection that’s his issue not yours. I fail to see why it is your responsibility to...make him feel better.” Sasori had no sympathy for his brother as far as his feelings for the pinkette were concerned.

“You’re just saying that because I let you kiss me.” Sakura teased Sasori, then blushed.

“Actually flower, I let you kiss me. Twice.” Sasori smirked at her.

“You kissed me the first time for sure.” Sakura was still blushing but smiling playfully at the redhead as they walked.

“I suppose I did.” Sasori smiled softly at the woman on his arm. 

“It won’t be the last time.” He said with confidence.

Sakura blushed an even deeper shade of pink and continued to smile as they approached the gate to her garden. Sasori opened the gate for her and she walked through, keenly aware of his close proximity, the brush of his sleeve against her arm as he took her hand again and led her up the small steps to the cottage door.

Where Rasa was familiar because of his similarities to her Gaara, Sasori was...both exciting and comforting at the same time.

Once inside Sasori busied himself by looking through the huge pile of paperwork she had brought home from the hospital earlier while she administered the sleep aid to her maid. They sat and had a cup of tea together to ensure Megumu took to the sleep aid without having any adverse effects before they left.

Sasori sealed the cottage with the same protection seals as he had the night Sakura had taken her own sleep aid and pointed out the Anbu on the roof to her so she would know her friend was safe. 

Unobtrusively he rolled his eyes at the lengths he was going to, to make this woman happy, but a small part of him, if he were honest, didn’t mind.

Rasa was in the sitting room when they entered. Temari, Kankuro and Gaara were at the sitting room table drawing pictures. It was such a scene of domesticity it made Sakura’s heart warm and she couldn’t help but smile as she entered the room with Sasori.

“Sakura.” Rasa rose to his feet and inclined his head to the woman.

“Good evening Rasa.” Sakura smiled kindly.

“Ka San!” Gaara leapt at her, she barely caught him around the middle, stumbled backward and sat down heavily on the couch beside Sasori who had sat down.

“Is Megumu okay Ka San?” Gaara twined his fingers in her hair pulling gently.

“Yes baby, she’ll be fine, don’t worry. I gave her something to help her sleep.” Sakura kissed him on the nose and looked past him to the other two children in the room who were staring at her with open mouths.

“Good evening Kankuro, Temari, how are you two?” Sakura asked them kindly.

“Hi.” Temari waved from the table, but Kankuro got up and walked over to his brother and the pink haired woman looking at her curiously.

“Are you going to be here for dinner? Dad said when you eat with us, we can come to dinner with him cause Gaara comes and it is only fair.” Kankuro looked at her expectantly.

“I can stay for dinner.” She looked at Rasa who nodded, looking at Sasori.

“Megumu is under Anbu watch for the night, drugged so she can sleep. Sakura will sleep here tonight in the guest room. We will question the maid tomorrow, together.” Sasori told his brother who nodded.

“Great!” Kankuro grinned widely, much to Gaara’s annoyance.

“She’s mine, not yours.” Gaara hissed at Kankuro who backed away from his little brother, his hands in the air.

“Gaara, sweety you can’t do that. Kankuro can talk to me if he likes.” Sakura began but was cut off by Gaara.

“No, he can’t, you are my Ka San, not his, his is dead.” Gaara looked at her, eyes hard and unyielding.

“Gaara, that is not nice, she was your mother too. Apologize to Kankuro, then Temari, then your father right now.” Sakura said sternly.

“No!” Gaara crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her.

“Gaara, if you don’t apologize I’m going home right now.” Sakura stood up, displacing the small boy from her lap.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Gaara’s sand rose up around him threatening her.

“I’m so disappointed in you Gaara. I thought you were past this.” Sakura looked at the boy with sad eyes.

“Ka San…” Gaara’s bottom lip quivered.

Sakura reached out to take his hand when he hung his head. “Gaara, apologize and we can go back to sitting together and having fun with the rest of your family.”

“If I apologize, will you forgive me?” His voice was so small it made her want to cry.

“Of course baby, that’s why you apologize, to be forgiven.” She smiled at him, giving him a little push with her hand toward his brother Kankuro who looked from her to his brother to his father.

“I’m sorry Kankuro.” Gaara looked up at his brother and waited.

“Uh, so’kay.” Kankuro looked from Gaara to Sakura again.

“I’m sorry Temari.” Gaara looked at his sister with more hope in his eyes after Kankuro had forgiven him.

“No problem.” Temari looked at their father who nodded at her.

“Oto San, sorry.” Gaara said quietly to their father who nodded and ruffled his hair.

“Listen to Sakura from now on and it will be fine.” Rasa told his youngest who smiled up at him.

“How delightful.” Sasori muttered as Sakura sat back down next to him, giving him a warning look.

Sasori scoffed at her presumption that he would listen to her like the boy.

“If I had known all the brats were going to be here I would have walked you to the door then left.” He said a little too loudly and Sakura glared at him. 

“I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to talk to you about my trip to Iwa in the morning.” Rasa took two glasses down from the mini bar and filled them halfway, ignoring the glances between his brother and Sakura, handing one to Sakura and one to his brother.

“You’re leaving tomorrow morning?” Sakura asked, then recalled Sasori saying something about Rasa leaving in a week, last week.

“For over a year now Iwa has been talking back and forth with Suna about an alliance, but nothing has come of it. They requested another meeting last month, before your arrival.” Rasa explained.

“I’ll continue the search for Yashamaru while you’re gone.” Sasori took a sip of his drink.

“I will try not to be gone too long. We only have a little over three weeks before the Chunin exams, the participants will start showing up in the next two weeks, can you make sure their housing is prepared?” Rasa refilled his glass and handed the decanter to his brother.

“I’ll see to it, take your time.” Sasori glanced at Sakura before he spoke again. It would be nice to have some time with the woman to establish their new ‘relationship’, while his brother was gone.

“I heard a rumor that Kumogakure is in negotiations for an alliance with Iwagakure. I received the report from my spies earlier today. I was hoping to catch you before you left to tell you, be wary of Iwa and what they might have planned.” Sasori said smoothly.

Sakura took a deep swallow of her drink, she had been the one to tell Sasori that Iwa and Kumo had an alliance in her time, it wasn’t a rumor, it was a fact. She just didn’t know when they had formed the alliance, or if Suna had ever had an alliance with Iwagakure before the fourth great war broke out across all five nations.

“Iwa and Kumo?” Rasa rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Iwa sent a missive requesting two more Genin teams for admittance when they had originally requested to send one.”

“I am aware.” Sasori took a sip of his drink, his knee bumping up against Sakura’s in reassurance. He knew what he was doing.

A slight incline of her head as she sipped her drink told Sasori she understood what he was doing, making his mouth twitch in a ‘not quite’, a smile.

“Do you think they are going to back out of our negotiations?” Rasa asked his brother.

“Anything is possible, but the question you have to ask is why would they, what is Kumo offering them that we don’t have?” Sasori drained his glass and filled both his and Sakura’s up to the rim.

“Sakura.” Rasa began slowly. “Would you be interested in giving medical classes for, say...beginners?” He asked her hesitantly.

“I had planned on it, remember? I was going to teach my own medical staff, starting with the basics and working my way up depending on their chakra control.” She told him.

“Would you be willing to take on a few students from Iwagakure?” Rasa asked her.

“I could do that, but they would have to have excellent chakra control.” Vaguely she wondered where Deidara was right now, he must be roughly seven years old.

“No explosions though.” She added as she thought of Deidara.

“Explosions?” Rasa asked her puzzled.

“Just in case they send someone with their kekkei genkai, no exploding clay users please.” She smiled at Rasa’s confusion.

“Of course.” Rasa inclined his head.

Sasori snorted to himself. It was clear his brother had no idea what the woman was talking about. He himself only knew because of his spy network, it was a secret kekkei genkai that allowed the user to mold and detonate clay with their chakra, few had it anymore in Iwagakure, he doubted it would be an issue. He did however wonder how Sakura knew about it...he would have to ask her later.

“I will make the proposal to Iwa then, while I’m there. The more we have to offer, the more likely they will ally themselves with us versus Kumo.” Rasa nodded pleased.

“For a price, Rasa. They must pay us a fee for Sakura’s instruction. We have a deficit to clear.” Sasori reminded his brother.

Rasa nodded and swirled his drink around his glass. “Yes, of course you’re right.”

Sakura looked from Rasa to Sasori who smirked at her and nudged her knee with his own. She hoped he knew what he was doing…

Talk during dinner was relaxed due to the children being present. Gaara sat on one side of Sakura and Sasori sat on the other side. Gaara seemed less than pleased to have to share his mother’s attention with his brother and his sister, his little hand constantly grabbing for hers as she tried to eat.

Rasa engaged her in light conversation not wanting to speak about their misunderstanding in front of his brother again. Sasori barely spoke, concentrating on his meal and his hand on Sakura’s thigh under the cover of the table. Sakura didn’t even seem to notice his touch until he squeezed her leg unintentionally and she squeaked, earning him a glare from both his brother and his youngest nephew. Sakura however, giggled, much to his pleasure and Rasa’s displeasure.

After dinner one of the many main house maids came to take the children and get them ready for bed. Gaara refused to leave with his brother and sister insisting Sakura, his mother get him ready for bed. Sakura smiled and rose from her seat, a small apologetic smile on her face as she passed Sasori and Rasa in their seats.

“Sasori, when Sakura returns, I’d like to speak to her alone. There are some things that need to be said between us before I leave for Iwa.” Rasa told his brother as they moved to the sitting room for after dinner drinks.

“I understand that you and her have...been spending more time together. I just have a few things I want to tell her.” Rasa looked at his brother, meeting his eyes.

Sasori nodded. “It is to be expected. I had a few books I promised her. I’ll go get them and give you two time to talk.” Sasori rose gracefully from his seat and exited the room when he felt Sakura’s chakra signature making its way to the sitting room. He would allow his brother this last moment with the woman.

He met her in the hallway before she came around the corner to the sitting room. “Rasa would like to speak with you for a moment alone. I am going to get a few books I think you might like and put them in the guest room for you.”

“Thank you Sasori.” Sakura smiled, touching his hand lightly before walking past him.

He caught her by the hand and pulled her back to him, kissing her gently on the cheek. “I’d like to have dinner with you tomorrow night.”

Sakura nodded, pushing her hair back behind her ear. “I would like that Sasori.”

Sasori let go of her hand and watched her walk down the hall toward the sitting room with a better idea of what she was going to tell his brother now, pleased, he walked the other way, toward his rooms to get her those books.

Rasa was pouring himself another drink when she entered the sitting room. With the children in bed and Sasori in his own rooms, they were alone.

“Would you like another drink?” Rasa raised the bottle in question but Sakura shook her head. She wanted to be alert with the man.

“No, thank you though.” She smiled and sat down on the couch.

Rasa sat down next to her instead of the chair he had been sitting on before. He took a few sips of his drink before speaking. His voice was measured, calm and gentle.

“I’m sorry about the other night Sakura. I was foolish, and let myself get too wrapped up in the moment.” He tried to explain.

“Wrapped up in the moment.” Sakura repeated his words. “Do you know why I stopped you Rasa?”

“I was too forward, I know that now.” He began and she shook her head placing her hand on his arm.

“No, I meant it when I said it wasn’t you but me. I realized I was using you Rasa, to forget where I was, when I was. I was fooling myself and deceiving you. It wasn’t you I was kissing Rasa, it was my Gaara. I’m sorry.”

“I think I’m still in love with him and it was confusing for me to be so close to you. I just wanted to feel adored and wanted again. I was selfish. Please forgive me.” She tried to smile at him but she couldn’t.

“I want you.” Rasa protested then stopped. “I mean, I admire you and want to get to know you better and...I’m not my son but it was our small similarities that made you more comfortable around me, why not see where it goes?” He tried.

“I think that’s bad though. You’re too similar and I don’t think I can move on if I surround myself with things that constantly remind me of my past.” She told him honestly. “I’m sorry Rasa.”

“I see.” Rasa said quietly. ‘Did Sasori not remind her of her past’, he protested her decision in his head.

“I’m sorry Rasa.” Sakura rose from her seat and quietly left the room, leaving Rasa to finish his drink alone.

“This isn’t over.” Rasa spoke into his empty glass, refilling it before settling back down into the cushions of the couch. ‘I will have you…’, he thought darkly to himself. He wasn’t going to lose to his brother ...not again.


	38. Chapter 38

Rasa left before dawn. Sasori had been up and in the Kazekage’s office seeing to the paperwork for the day after his departure. He had left Ryo on the roof of the main house, checked on Megumu for Sakura’s sake and then dispatched two new Anbu teams to look for Yashamaru when the previous ones had returned without any new leads on the man. 

Sasori sat down in the dining room of the main house alone for breakfast just as the first rays of sunshine broke across the desert sky. He could feel the children and Sakura still asleep in their beds and smiled. 

Before Rasa had left that morning they had talked about the idea of Sakura taking on Iwa students for their new medical program. Sasori assured his brother he and Sakura would come up with a medical outline for the first basic classes and send it to him by the end of tomorrow so he could have something to present to the Tsuchikage.

Kenta entered the dining room and placed a small tray of fruits and plain pastries down in front of Sasori with a low bow.

“Will the young miss be joining you soon Sasori Sama? I have a plate of fruit stuffed pastries I think she would enjoy in the kitchen.” Kenta bowed low again to the red head.

“Yes, I feel her waking now, she should be down shortly. Bring them out and fresh coffee with cream and sugar.” Sasori told the elderly man.

Kenta bowed again , a small smile on his lips as he left the room to get the pastries for Sakura. Kenta had been the cook for the Third Kazekage and had continued his service for the current Fourth Kazekage and his family. 

While it was always wise for a servant to keep to themselves Kenta couldn’t help but smile at the changes he had noticed in the younger of the two brothers. Since Sakura had come into their lives, Sasori had changed the most, even more than young Gaara, as far as Kenta was concerned. Kenta wondered if the man even realized it and secretly hoped the woman would stay, for a very long time if not forever.

Yawning, Sakura walked into the dining room and slid into the chair next to Sasori’s. “Good morning.”

“Kenta made you some pastries.” Sasori pulled a plate over to her and set a napkin on her lap for her, lightly brushing her thigh with his fingers.

“Thank you.” Sakura smiled at Kenta who had appeared a moment later with the promised pastries. “These look wonderful Kenta.”

“It is my pleasure Sakura Sama.” Kenta bowed low and poured her coffee for her, something he had never done for any of the other family members, making Sasori raise an eyebrow at the man.

“Please Kenta, just call me Sakura.” Sakura smiled sweetly as she picked up the cream and then the sugar he had placed beside her hand within easy reach.

“As you wish Sakura. Please enjoy and let me know if you require anything else. I will have fresh sprouts and fried tofu prepared for lunch with dango if it pleases you.” Kenta smiled at the woman as he left the room under the watchful eye of the redhead beside her.

“Is there anyone in this village you haven’t charmed to death?” Sasori muttered.

“What?” Sakura asked around a mouthful of pastry.

“Rasa has left the village already.” He ignored her question. “I told him we would put together a basic outline for the medical program and send it to him for the Tsuchikage to look over by tomorrow evening.”

Sakura nodded. “Okay I can do that this morning, it won’t take me long if it is just the basics.”

“I assume you will wish to check on your maid after breakfast. I’ve already finished the morning paperwork, we can go together once you are done eating.” Sasori picked up his glass of juice ignoring her look of surprise.

“That was very kind of you Sasori.” Sakura smiled at the red head beside her, pleased.

“It is not kindness dear, the woman may have been compromised.” He countered a bit too quickly.

“Um hum.” Sakura sipped her coffee, watching him out of the corner of her eye.

Sasori ignored her in favor of refilling his plate with fruit and toast.

“Ka San.” Gaara slunk into the dining room and took the seat on the other side of Sakura hugging her around the middle before pulling the dish of fruit toward himself and filling his plate.

“Sleep well Gaara?” Sakura took a pastry from the plate Kenta had set down before her and put one of the plainer ones on Gaara’s plate for him with a soft smile.

“Yes.” Gaara mumbled around a full mouth of fruit.

“Your Uncle and I need to speak with Megumu this morning but I can get you after if you like and you can make the morning rounds in the hospital with me, how does that sound?” She asked the little boy.

“Great Ka San!” He chirped making her laugh.

Megumu was awake when Sasori entered the room followed closely by Sakura. “How are you feeling?” Sakura sat down on the bed beside her friend uncovering the dish of pastries and fruit she had brought with her from their breakfast.

“Better Sakura Sama, thank you very much for thinking of me.” Megumu tried to bow to her friend and mistress but Sakura stopped her with a chakra infused hand to her forehead checking her temperature, then her pulse.

“You seem okay. We have a few things we need to ask you Megumu. The slash marks that were on your legs, they weren’t from the broken ceramics, they were from a blade. Are you sure you don’t remember anything else?” Sakura took her maid’s hand to let her know she wasn’t in trouble.

Megumu looked from Sakura to Sasori, her eyes wide. “Am I, I mean, does this mean I’m in danger?”

“Not you, you’re a maid, Sakura is in danger by your close proximity. I need to ensure you pose no threat to her. This will be painless, if you relax.” Sasori sent out two of his chakra strings, fixing them to the sides of Megumu’s temples.

The woman shook in her seat, terrified. She had heard tales of this man’s torture, how he extraced information from people.

“Megumu, I am here, he won’t harm you.” Sakura turned to Sasori.

“Explain it to her, so she understands, so she knows you won’t hurt her.” Sakura told him.

Sasori rolled his eyes but complied, if only to appease Sakura. “I am using my chakra to break any foreign seals that may have been placed on your mind since you do not remember where your marks came from. It will not hurt, if you don’t resist. Don’t resist my chakra and it will be over quickly, if you resist it will hurt and I will prolong the experience. Count to ten.”

Sakura glared at Sasori but he ignored her.

Megumu closed her eyes and began to count as Sasori’s chakra filled her head, breaking through her thoughts, filtering the last 24 hours in her head as she squeezed Sakura’s hand.

“Two seals and a weak genjutsu.” Sasori said quietly, almost as if he were disappointed. 

“It seems they weren’t as skilled as you assumed.” He smirked at Sakura who smiled at him, she was pleased that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

“I’ve released the seals of course as well as the minor genjutsu. Now then, tell us what really happened, maid.” Sasori commanded much to Sakura’s annoyance.

“I was in the kitchen washing vegetables when two men came through the door quickly, they were looking for you my lady.” Megumu looked at Sakura.

“They said they wanted the healer, that you didn’t belong to Suna. When I told them you weren’t there they...they attacked me and...cut my legs, trying to get me to tell them things I didn’t know.” Megumu began to cry.

“Megumu. I’m so sorry Megumu.” Sakura hugged her friend and looked up at the bland face of Sasori.

“Then what happened.” Sasori asked her, unfazed by her display of emotion. Sakura scowled at him but he ignored her.

“They said they were going to use me...to get to you Lady Sakura, that they would have you no matter what. The Raikage commanded it.” Megumu rubbed her eyes.

“Kumo.” Sasori’s eyes narrowed to slits. Kumo would pay for this, for every drop of blood spilled in their attempt to take Sakura.

Sasori pulled a vial from his pocket that Sakura recognized as a sedative. “Give her this.” He set the vial down in Sakura’s lap and left the room without a backward glance.

Sakura watched him go, a bit surprised at his abrupt departure but said nothing as she uncorked the vial and helped Megumu to drink it. 

“You did well Megumu, thank you.” Sakura pulled the covers up and around her maid, in her own bed and pet her hair until the woman relaxed into a drugged sleep.

When Sakura was sure Megumu was resting she leapt up on top of the roof where the Anbu Sasori had left for her last night was sitting, watching…

“Please get some rest Anbu San. Send another of your division to watch over my friend for the day and get some rest. Thank you for watching over her. I appreciate it.” Sakura bowed politely to the Anbu who stuttered.

“No n not at all Sakura Sama, please there is no need to thank me. It is my job.” He bowed low, his fist to the roof in compliance.

“I am grateful, even if it is your job.” Sakura smiled at the Anbu. “Send another to take your place and get some rest.”

“Yes Sakura Sama.” The Anbu smiled tentatively under his mask even though the woman couldn’t see it.

Sakura waited on the roof of her cottage until the replacement Anbu had come, bowed, offered her thanks, then left to find Gaara.

Ryo followed Sakura and the young lord as they walked to the hospital. He was bothered. He hadn’t noticed the Kumo nin that had attacked Megumu, and he felt that he should have. He had been watching Sakura, as he was supposed to but he had come to enjoy watching the maid as well and felt...responsible for her too.

Kumo again, they weren’t going to give up until they had Sakura. Ryo jumped from rooftop to rooftop until his feet hit the roof of the hospital, turning and dropping into a sitting position he watched Sakura and Gaara climb the front steps and enter the building.

Gaara shadowed his mother throughout the morning. The nurses and the other doctors had grown more and more accustomed to turning the corners of the hospital to find the young lord standing beside his mother, in her arms or trailing after her as she walked quickly through the halls. When she was in surgery he waited outside of the operating room, when she was in her office, he was there with her in a chair beside her desk. Slowly, Gaara became accustomed to them and them to him.

So it was no surprise to Sakura when Kanna brought her lunch to her in her office and brought a smaller portion and a bowl of pudding for Gaara. Gaara smiled sweetly at the nurse, thanked her and bowed his head respectfully to the woman.

“It is my pleasure young lord. Please enjoy your meal Sakura Sama, Gaara Sama.” Kanna bowed her way out of the room and Sakura didn’t have the heart to tell her not to call her Sama.

“I like it here in the hospital.” Gaara said after his dish was empty and his spoon was sticking out of his mouth.

Sakura smiled, remembering the time she had come to the hospital with him in her arms to save Yashamaru’s life. She remembered the looks of hate and mistrust the nurses and the doctors had given them...so much had changed in the last month and a half, it gave her hope...for their future.

“I’m glad. It is nice having you here with me Gaara. After lunch I have a few more things to do, but then perhaps we could go to the park for you? You’ve been so patient. I appreciate it.” Sakura smiled, she couldn’t help but smile, he was so adorable as he nodded, the spoon half in half out of his mouth and he grinned around his last spoonful of pudding.

Sakura paused and watched him. In her time, her Gaara, hadn’t liked sweets. She wondered briefly, if it was because no one had ever given him any.

The wind blew the man’s long ponytail over his shoulder as he looked out across the tall walls of Konoha, past the cliffs through the trees to the desert beyond. Briefly he wondered, what was she doing and how did she feel, knowing everything that was to come? Should he write to her, should he ask her, and if he did would she even tell him after what had happened between her and Hatake.... red hair flashed through his mind, amber eyes watching his every move. She was protected, and that man knew and waited...would she tell him he wondered…

Hatake had been pardoned as they had all expected. “A disagreement, a misunderstanding”, they had all told the Hokage.

‘A mistake’, Itachi muttered to himself as his cousin dropped down onto the head of the Second Hokage beside him.

“Itachi, any word?” Shisui asked, his shoulders slouched, the image of relaxation and laziness...which he wasn’t.

“There is no guarantee it will ever come.” Itachi’s eyes didn’t waver from the West, where he continued to look as he thought about their next move.

“We need confirmation before we act, perhaps send her a crow?” Shisui suggested.

“We will wait for her, she has to be the one to initiate communication, or he won't believe us.” Itachi turned then, to look at his cousin. 

They had spoken of it before. He understood his best friend’s need to move though, their enemies were moving around them, closing in on them fast. Time was running out, but one false move could ruin everything.

“He, ah the Puppet Master.” Shisui nodded, he understood.

“He is clever but so is she, we must be careful if we want to keep them as our allies.” Itachi jumped down the side of the cliff, free falling into the abyss.

“I thought she used to be a Konoha kunoichi, isn’t that what the dog said?” ‘What if the dog had been lying to himself though’, Shisui ran his hands through his hair in frustration, then leapt over the side of the cliff to follow his cousin.

“Sakura Sama.” A young girl and a young man bowed low to Sakura and Gaara in the clothing district of the Suna market while they were shopping.

Sakura turned and smiled, recognizing the young woman as one of the new Genin she had healed after a training accident.

“Nosumei. I see you are better and moving around well. I’m glad.” Sakura smiled at the girl who had been in agony the last time she had seen her.

“Yes Sakura Sama! Thanks to you! Both of my legs, they would have...I wouldn’t have walked ever again! You’re the best!” The girl’s volume and energy were addictive and Sakura felt her heart lighten at the sound and sight of the young couple before her.

“Thank you Sakura Sama.” Nosumei’s boyfriend bowed low to the pinkett.

“It was my pleasure.” Sakura smiled.

“These are for you.” Nosumei held out a small plate of homemade dango and sliced figs ro Gaara who took them with a shy smile and a quiet thank you.

Nosumei laughed loudly and pet Gaara on the head playfully making everyone around them stare in shock. Even Nosumei’s boyfriend seemed to freeze, but relaxed when Gaara simply smiled at the young woman.

“It’s so nice to see you out in the market Gaara Sama. Thanks again Sakura Sama!” Nosumei waved to them one last time as her boyfriend pulled her back into the crowded market with a final wave of his own.

“Those look good don’t they Gaara?” Sakura looked down at the plate of dango and fruit. 

Gaara nodded, his sand came up around them and carried them effortlessly back to the cottage where they could eat their treat and check on Megumu together...the playground forgotten as Gaara looked at the first present one of his villagers had ever given him voluntarily.

Megumu was doing much better when Sakura and Gaara returned to the cottage. She had gotten up, washed her face and changed her clothes in the servant quarters of the main house in their absence and was in the garden when they walked up to the gate.

“Take it easy Megumu, don't over do it. Genjutsu is very powerful when used against civilians and even though it was a minor genjutsu, you really shouldn’t push yourself.” Sakura warned.

“I promise to move slowly, Sakura Sama.” Megumu smiled at her friend. “Thank you for helping me and I’m sorry I was such a burden to you last night and this morning, forgive me.” Megumu bowed low to her friend.

“Don’t be silly. I should apologize to you, if it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t have been attacked in the first place.” Sakura knew it wasn’t really her fault but she still felt responsible.

“Sasori broke the seals and the genjutsu without any trouble and I healed your wounds, no long term harm done right?” Sakura tried to laugh. Megumu wasn’t used to being hurt, she wasn’t a shinobi and while her injuries were nothing compared to what Sakura and Sasori had faced, Sakura knew it could still be traumatizing to a civilian.

“I don’t trust that man Sakura Sama.” Megumu’s voice was stern, surprising Sakura.

Sakura knew that her maid didn’t approve of Sasori and didn’t like the man being around her as much as he was but he had just helped the maid and Sakura couldn’t help but feel the woman was being a little ungrateful.

“Megumu.” Sakura began calmly.

“He is far too interested in you, it...isn’t right.” Megumu said forcefully then clapped her hands over her mouth. “Forgive me Sakura Sama. I just...he is a monster and I worry for you. He clearly has his eyes set on you and it can mean nothing good Sakura Sama.”

Gaara looked from the maid to his mother. He had never heard the maid speak so bluntly before. ...and while he might agree with the maid, that his Uncle was a bit too interested in Sakura, it was not her place to say such things to Sakura, even if they were friends...Sakura was still above her in his opinion.

“Megumu, you go too far.” Sakura knelt down beside the maid who had been picking vegetables. “Thank you for your concern, but who I spend my time with is none of your business, friend or not.”

Megumu opened her mouth then shut it quickly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Keep in mind Megumu, people are not always what they appear to be. You insult me by thinking so little of me.” Sakura said, evenly raising from her crouch to her full height and looking down at the woman.

“What do you mean Sakura Sama, I said nothing bad about you, I would never insult you.” Megumu began to protest, her eyes growing moist.

“You insult me by assuming I do not know the man that I chose to spend my time with. He is not a monster, in fact, we have quite a lot in common. Do you think I am a monster...Megumu?” Sakura asked her maid.

Megumu shook her head frantically. “No! Of course not Sakura Sama!”

“Then you understand the insult.” Sakura took Gaara by the hand and led him back out of the garden to the main house.

Ryo watched the pair disappear into the main house, watched the maid slink back into the cottage with her basket of vegetables and watched Sasori Sama smile, jump down from the main house’s roof and follow the pink haired woman and the boy into his home.


	39. Chapter 39

“This looks satisfactory.” Sasori read over the rough draft of the first year’s medical course for beginners that Sakura had handed him.

He was surprised she had come up with a course outline so quickly but then he remembered her saying she was the apprentice of the Fifth Hokage Tsunade Senju, it should have been expected. 

“I will send this to Rasa tonight then, if you have nothing to add.” Sasori rolled the parchment back up and set it down on the table before them.

“It’s all set. I have the second year ready as well, but the third depends on the student and how talented they are, how well they maintain their chakra control and how quickly they picked up the first two years.” Sakura said absently as she read through the hospital files she had brought home with her.

Per Sasori’s request they were in the main house’s sitting room. Gaara was in his room, Temari and Kankuro were out doing who knows what...they were alone for the time being.

“How long did you study under the Senju?” Sasori asked Sakura as she set down one file only to pick up another.

“Two years.” Sakura thumbed through the file pulling out two papers and sticking another paper in, setting it down and picking up another folder from her pile.

“Hum.” Sasori thought about her answer. “So you expect the students to need more than two years?”

“I would have studied longer under my shisou but I left with my team shortly after uh to rescue Gaara from you, after you gave me the tip about your informant, about one of my old team mates and we left, to get him, then well, a lot happened and I didn’t have time to study anymore and sorta trained on the job.” She laughed a little ruefully thinking of how she had continued to train herself after her, Naruto and Kakashi Sensei had left the village to gather information on Sasuke.

Sasori noticed she had stopped rootling through her never ending pile of paperwork and was staring at the open folder in front of her, deep in thought.

“It bothers you doesn’t it?” He prodded her.

“Hum?” Sakura turned her eyes to the man beside her.

“Knowing what will happen, how things will come to pass, you’re worried aren’t you?” He moved closer to her and took one of her hands in his, running his thumb over her knuckles, like he enjoyed doing.

“It’s just, I wonder...how much I can prevent, what has changed already and if Kakashi and I were the only ones that came back.” She set the folder down on the table and leaned back into the soft cushions of the couch, letting Sasori have her hand.

“I know one thing I can change but that leads to so much more. It’s a chain reaction really.” She thought of Itachi and the Uchiha massacre, how their war would have gone if there had been more Uchiha around to help them, of Obito, Rin and Kakashi.

‘Did her Kakashi tell this one that Obito was alive?’, she wondered. “I think.” She began then stopped.

“I think if I give the right person the right information, or perhaps…” She trailed off considering her next words carefully. “Itachi Uchiha, he is the key I think.”

Itachi could save the Uchiha of Konoha, he could stop Shisui from trusting Danzo, would be there for Sasuke if they succeeded and then...perhaps if he knew about Orochimaru...she nodded once testing her decision.

Sasori watched the woman think. He could see each thought as it passed through her mind across her face and marveled at her ability to express herself so clearly with the minute features of her mouth, the crinkle of her eyes and her nose. She fascinated him.

“Yes. I will write Itachi.” She had come to a conclusion.

“...and tell him what dear?” Sasori moved closer to her, his hand resting on her leg, their fingers twined together.

“Everything. Let Konoha take care of their own. I will tell them what I know. I will do my moral duty and leave the knowledge I hold of the future in the hands of those I know can do something about it. What can I do, from here...nothing.” She nodded satisfied with her choice.

“...and as for Suna, we must make sure Rasa does not form an alliance with Orochimaru and betray the Leaf. Suna has lost enough shinobi already.” Sakura turned to look at Sasori only to find him close, very close.

“An admirable start.” He murmured, with a gentle tug of his hand he pulled her closer, tucking her into his side as he brushed the hair from her forehead with his lips.

With a small sigh Sakura leaned into his embrace. “I’ll write the letter tomorrow then.”

“You do that.” He hummed into her ear, releasing her hand to brush the hair back from her face as she turned her head to meet his eyes.

“Sasori, I don’t know if I’m ready for um...whatever this is.” She spoke gently, her breath ghosting warmly across his lips as he leaned in to kiss her lightly.

“What do you think this is dear?” Strong fingers slid down her throat, then up the back of her neck wrapping themselves in her hair, pulling her head back slightly.

Sakura closed her eyes. His mouth was hot against her skin, his lips placing kisses down the column of her neck, each one deliberate, each one placed specifically to make her move against him. “Sasori.” She swallowed her own gasp as his tongue flickered out tracing lazy circles over her rapidly beating pulse.

_‘Is this what you want?’_

Kaguya’s words crashed around her. 

Was it?

“Sasori.” Sakura whispered his name again.

“Yes Sakura.” He said her name, softly, possessively, like his hands that had dropped to her waist lifting her up and over his lap.

“Sasori, I…” She tilted her head to the side so he could kiss her better, more deeply. She loved the lazy sort of way he said her name, his voice washed over her senses relaxing her.

“Tell me what you want Sakura.” He broke their kiss to look into her eyes. He was not Rasa. He didn’t want her to pretend, to imagine him as anyone else but himself. “Tell me.”

Sakura bit her lip as she looked into his amber eyes. They were so intense, so focused...on her, as though she were the only person in the world to him as if he…”I…” She stammered.

Sasori swallowed. He was not his brother, he would not make the same mistakes as him. She was perfect for him, so he...would be perfect for her. 

“We need not go any further. That isn’t what ‘this’ is about for me.” He lifted her again, kissed the corner of her mouth and smiled a half smile down at her confused expression, setting her back down beside him on the couch. “You are much more valuable to me than one kiss, than one moment.”

Sakura nodded, her heart pounding in her chest, her ears ringing as she looked at him. “Thank you Sasori.”

“Do not thank me for something you should take for granted.” He smoothed the hair down over her ears and kissed her forehead. “I will put our order in for dinner with Kenta. Is there anything in particular you would like me to ask him to make dear?”

Sakura shook her head, her fingers pressed to her lips as she watched him bow correctly to her, a half smirk replacing his half smile as he looked at her once more before leaving the room.

Alone, she smiled and bit her bottom lip between her teeth. Alone, she closed her eyes and replayed his words back to herself in her head. ‘Do not thank me for something you should take for granted’...those words meant more to her than any words anyone had ever said to her before now.

‘Yes, Kaguya, this is what I want’, Sakura smiled to herself as she continued to touch her lips, the warmth of his touch still caressing her skin.

Sasori nodded to himself as he watched the woman, his woman, smile to herself seemingly alone, unaware of his presence. Yes, she was perfect.

Sakura let loose the desert hawk to fly East, toward Konoha with her letter to one Uchiha Itachi and hoped, very much, that she had made the correct choice to confide in him. Unlike Sasuke, she knew that Itachi had never wanted to kill his clan, and had tried desperately with his cousin to avoid it at all costs. One of the perks and drawbacks of being so close to the Hokage...drunken confessions, rants and ‘what if’s’, Sakura knew more about Konoha than she had ever wanted to know.

She had never blamed the Lord Third, but she couldn’t help but wonder ‘what if’, he had been a stronger leader…’what if’, he had stood up to Danzo, imprisoned him when he had the chance, executed him for his evil ways...would she even be here now. Sentimentality was all well and good, if you didn’t let it sway you from what needed to be done.

Her thoughts betrayed her. Part of her was glad she was here, part of her was not. She knew though, that Rasa was much like The Lord Third and she couldn’t help but wonder...again, her logical mind betraying her, ‘what if’, he were gone and someone like Sasori took his place, how much better off would Suna have been in her time, if Sasori had never left the Sand…but unlike the Lord Third, Rasa’s weakness wasn’t due to sentimentality...it was lack of foresight...something she was learning Sasori possessed, in spades.

“Welcome to Iwagakure Kazekage Sama.” The Iwa guard bowed low to Rasa as he walked through the gates of Iwagakure with his team. “The Tsuchikage has been expecting you Sir.”

“My lord, the rumors have been verified through our contacts in Kumogakure. The woman with pink hair who fell from the sky is an even more skilled medic nin than Princess Tsunade and also possesses her monstrous strength.” The masked Root member knelt down, head bowed before Danzo Shimura and gave his report.

“I see. Then we will move forward with our plan as discussed. Inform the Raikage. We will take the woman at the Chunin exams.” Danzo looked down at the Root member with steady cold eyes, but underneath the fabric that wrapped his right side, his heart pounded in his chest. 

If he helped the Raikage take the woman, if Iwa helped Kumo crush what remained of Suna, his coo to take over as Hokage would be the last thing on anyone’s mind.

Too preoccupied with his own thoughts, Danzo didn’t notice the flash of red in the distance, didn’t notice Itachi Uchiha and his cousin Shisui disappear from sight.

“A decent proposal.” The Tsuchikage set the papers down on the table that Rasa had offered him. “Two years then, two of our shinobi will train under this woman for the agreed upon price.”

Three hours they had deliberated, argued, offered, counter offered and then finally had agreed on a duration and a fee for Sakura’s expertise and knowledge.

“Before I sign the agreement however, I want to see the woman in action. I want to see if she is really as good as the rumors say she is.” The Tsuchikage wasn’t a fool and was almost as close fisted with his coin as the Kazekage was.

“You won’t be disappointed. At the Chunin exams then, come and see her skills for yourself.” Rasa smiled at the Tsuchikage. “Bring your candidates to Suna, let her decide which are qualified to learn under her, she told me she won’t take just anyone.”

The Tsuchikage snorted. “Are you sure she isn’t a relative of some to that woman, that Senju?”

“I doubt it, but no actually I’m not sure...my brother, is positive she was sent by the gods, my other both respects her and hates her for finding an antidote to his poison that even he couldn’t find a cure for and as for me...she fell from the sky at my feet...and lived, that is impressive enough.” Rasa smirked at the old man in front of him, he could take it as he would, Rasa spoke the truth.

“We’ll see.” The Tsuchikage waved his advisors away, then to the maid for refreshments. “For now, let us speak again of our alliance, providing the Chunin exams go well and your medic nin is everything you say, this could be beneficial to both Iwa and Suna for years to come.”

Rasa inclined his head, taking the tumbler from the maid who bowed low at his side.

He couldn’t open his eyes and his lips were cracked to bleeding. The blood from his lips coated the insides of his mouth offending his pallet as he struggled for breath. “Shit.” Yashamaru groaned into the side of his broken arm, unable to move otherwise.

Painfully, slowly moving across the sun baked sand he had dragged himself into a small cave just outside of the basin...a very long way from Suna. It had been a surprise sandstorm, out of season and he, like a fool, had found himself ill prepared. The winds had picked him up like a rag doll, carried him for miles only to drop him ruthlessly from the sky, down into the unforgiving sand of the desert.

His food was gone, his body was broken...thirst gnawed at his stomach like a rat.

Humorlessly he wondered, if this is what Sakura had felt like when she had fallen from the sky. They had considered the possibility that she had been carried to them in the throes of a sandstorm but Rasa had quickly dismissed the notion...there hadn’t been a sand storm in days before her arrival, only one after.

Yashamaru tried to move his arm in vain to heal himself at least partially, but couldn’t. ‘Dislocated’, the word filled his head making it throb, everything throbbed. Pink hair and green eyes stood just beyond his line of sight in the entrance of the cave. “Mirage” he muttered, closing his eyes, if only she were here to heal him again.

Ryo watched the Poison Master as he checked every window, every latch and trap he had set about the small cottage. Moving across the roof he watched the man place seal over seal on the garden, motion sensor traps, chakra traps and three different genjutsu over the small cottage

“The roof is the only access point now. You are her last line of defense.” Sasori refrained from his usual warnings of what would happen to the man if any misery befell Sakura while she slept, the man was loyal to her...it wasn’t needed.

Ryo bowed low. “Yes, Sasori Sama.”

The brat’s chakra surrounded them, making Ryo take a small involuntary step back and to the side much to Sasori’s amusement.

“You’re still frightened of the boy?” Sasori asked as Gaara materialized from the swirl of sand beside him.

“No, Sasori Sama, only prepared in case it was not the young lord.” Ryo bowed his head.

“Good.” One word of approval was all the man would get from the Puppet Master as he turned to face his nephew.

“Let your mother sleep alone tonight Gaara. I have sealed the cottage so she will be safe.” Sasori jumped from the cottage roof to the main house’s roof and Gaara followed, one finger in his mouth, dragging his little feet along the top of the clay shingles.

“Spit out whatever it is you have to say boy. I have things I would like to attend to before I rest for the evening.” Sasori raised his brow to his nephew in inquiry. The boy rarely sought him out, preferring the attention of Yashamaru to his.

“Shukaku says...Sakura is our mate. He tells me, you can have her for now but one day we will claim her for ourselves, where she belongs.” Gaara looked up at his Uncle, clearly not understanding anything he was saying.

“Does he.” Sasori looked down at his little nephew.

Sasori’s next words were measured. “If I had lived, if we had met in her time under less duress, perhaps she would not have been your mate Gaara. Has the tanuki thought of that?”

Gaara’s body trembled, his chakra exploded around him and his eyes flashed and glowed a dark sinister yellow.

**“She is our mate. We, were her first and we, will be her last. Your time with her is insignificant.” The arrogant voice of Shukaku rang across the short distance between them.**

“One tail, so nice of you to join us.” Sasori drawled. “Unfortunately, the lady no longer sees you as her mate, if she ever saw you, a tailed beast as such, filthy thing.”

Shukaku snarled out a warning which Sasori ignored.

“The boy sees the woman as his mother, to her he is her child now, you can no more change the dynamics of their relationship anymore than she can return to her own time.” Sasori said flatly.

**Shukaku chuckled a low feral chuckle that made the clay tiles of the roof vibrate with its intensity. “Can’t she?”**

Sasori’s eyes widened just enough to make the tanuki grin a wicked grin before he faded back into the recesses of the little boy’s mind. Gaara blinked twice, looking up at his Uncle’s face.

“See?” Gaara asked his Uncle, unperturbed by the tanuki’s words.

“I do.” Sasori narrowed his eyes at the boy. 

‘Can’t she’, the tanuki’s words burned a pain in the side of his heart. “Can she?” Sasori looked up at the stars overhead.

There was no answer of course, but he thought that perhaps he had heard the slight tinkling of bells.


	40. Chapter 40

Sasori stood on the highest cliff that bordered Sunagakure and watched the candidates for the Chunin exam enter his village three at a time.

“It was in Suna that I had my own Chunin exam, the one that made me a Chunin in my time.” Sakura landed beside him in a crouch, then stood up beside him, her eyes watching where he watched.

“Did you?” Sasori was interested to hear what her past had been like.

“The Chunin exams were the same in Suna as far as difficulty, as they were in Konoha, barring the Forest of Death, but even that...might have been less threatening than the giant scorpions the desert provided. It was cut short however, by yet another person trying to steal the one tail from Gaara.” She dropped down and swung her legs over the side of the cliff.

She hadn't said, ‘Her Gaara’, Sasori noticed sitting down beside her. It had been three weeks since his talk with Gaara on the roof of the cottage. Try as he might he couldn’t ignore the tailed beast’s words.

‘Can’t she?’, Shukaku had asked him.

Sasori watched the cooling desert wind blow her hair back from her shoulders, the strands catching the light like fairy flies. It had grown since her arrival with the help of the summer sun and floated down across her upper back. She wore it down now, for him he knew. 

He had told her he liked it when the wind caught her locks and blew them about her face. She had scrunched up her nose at him in distaste, claiming it was annoying but soon after he noticed she had started wearing it down when she wasn’t at the hospital.

“You would make a beautiful doll dear.” He ran his fingers through her hair, watching the silken strands sift through his fingers with adoration.

“You told me before, during our battle, that you wanted to make me into a puppet, you offered me eternal life.” Sakura laughed. “You told me I should be flattered, that you didn’t offer such things to just anyone.”

Sasori snorted. “I was right.”

“You were not.” She huffed but laughed all the same.

“You’re so different now. I’m glad I’m here, that I have the chance to get to know you, like this.” Sakura smiled at him and set her head on his shoulder.

His arm came up to drape across her other shoulder drawing her in, he rested his chin over the top of her head. “This is where you belong, beside me.”

Sakura nodded making his head move with hers as she breathed in his scent. He was warm, warm and alive and here with her. She smiled, she was...happy.

“Team Ro is here.” Sasori lifted his head from hers and nodded out into the desert.

Just barely, she could make out the white hair of the Copy Nin as he jumped over the last dune to Suna with his team running behind him.

“There’s the Hokage.” Sakura stood up and watched the lord Third in his palanquin, Shiranui in the front leading the way after Team Ro.

Her eyes followed the Copy Nin again, narrowed, then darted behind him a pace to fall on Uchiha Itachi and…”Is that Shisui?” Sakura asked, the air. 

She had never met Shisui Uchiha, having been only six at the time of his demise. If she were honest, she was really looking forward to meeting him. Like all the children in her academy class, she had heard of the famous Shisui The Teleporter Uchiha, and had been impressed.

“Did you not know him in your time?” Sasori had risen from his seat and stood just behind her, his hands on her shoulders as he watched the Hokage’s approach.

“He died, before I knew what the world was like outside of my own personal bubble.” She laughed. 

It hadn’t been until she was fifteen and had fought him that her own little bubble of bliss had popped. He had opened her eyes to the world in so many ways even before she had a chance to get to know him as a man...he was part of who she was, then and now.

“Don’t worry Sasori, no one will ever be more impressive to me than you are.” She kissed him on the nose and jumped down the side of the cliff to talk to Itachi.

“Minx.” Sasori hummed appreciatively and jumped down after her.

A week after Sakura had written to Itachi he had replied verbally via crow summons who had told her the Uchiha wished to speak in person while they were in Suna for the Chunin exams. She had nodded and told his crow to tell him she would greet him at the gate upon his arrival.

Sasori had nodded his approval at the man’s caution and had insisted they meet him together.

Rasa had returned from Iwagakure with promising news. 

The Tsuchikage would evaluate Sakura during the Chunin exams to make sure she actually lived up to the rumors he had heard about her healing abilities. If satisfied, not only would Iwa pay for two of their shinobi to learn from her, but Iwa and Suna would enter into a ten year alliance for trade and other services.

It was clear to Rasa before he had left for Iwa that he had lost the battle for Sakura’s affections and even more so when he had returned to Suna. The two barely spent a day without seeing one another, even if it was only dinner, Sasori was a constant figure by Sakura’s side. 

Rasa had drunk himself into oblivion the first night after dinner with them, every glance, look and touch a thorn twisting in his side. The next morning he woke to a summons from the council who had questions about the security for the up and coming Chunin exams, the alliance and the medical program Sakura had drawn up for the Iwa shinobi. Rasa pushed Sakura to the back of his mind, he was the Kazekage, there were more important things for him to focus on.

Sakura stood beside the guard house and watched Itachi and the rest of his team walk the final stretch into Suna. Her eyes had been on Itachi and the brown haired man beside him when she felt Sasori stiffen at her side.

Sakura looked up to find a look of careful boredom plastered on Sasori’s handsome face, a look she knew now served to hide strong emotions. She followed his line of sight to find Kakashi staring at her with such an unsettling intensity it made her take a step back, which she immediately regretted.

The dog’s face broke into a wolfish grin and his eye creased in amusement.

“Stand still. Ignore the dog. I am with you. Let the Uchiha come to you.” Sasori placed his warm palm in the small of her back, standing to his full height beside her.

Sakura relaxed at his touch, the subtle reassuring weight of his hand calming her. “I told him I would meet him at the gate.”

“And you are.” Sasori rubbed little circles on her back with his thumb as they waited. “He knows you’re here.”

Sakura watched Rasa greet the Hokage, bow formally and led the small group to the Kazekage tower. Genma and the other guards followed behind the Kazekage and the Hokage, Kakashi bringing up the rear. Itachi, his cousin Shisui and Tenzo spoke briefly, then Tenzo left them to follow their guide to their lodgings. 

As one the two cousins turned and started walking toward Sasori and Sakura.

“Sakura San, Sasori San, allow me to introduce my cousin Shisui Uchiha.” Itachi bowed politely to Sakura and Sasori.

Sakura bowed while Sasori merely inclined his head.

“It’s so nice to meet you Shisui San.” Sakura smiled brightly at the wavy haired Uchiha. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

Itachi hid his smile as he listened to the woman speak to his cousin. He had told Shisui of her, ‘Special circumstances’, but it was amusing to see her reaction to meeting his cousin first hand.

“You have?” Shisui blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his head embarrassed but pleased. 

“I’ve heard alot about you too, desert flower.” He winked at her shamelessly, ignoring the less than cordial stare of Sasori beside her.

“Fascinating.” Sasori drawled. “Shall we take a tour of the greenhouse? I assume you have questions for my Sakura, as she has for you and do not wish to be overheard.”

“Yes.” Itachi hadn’t missed the Puppet Master's emphasis on the use of ‘My Sakura’, and he knew his cousin hadn’t either, even if he was choosing to ignore it by being too close to the woman as they walked after Sasori to his greenhouses.

“There is a silencing seal on the greenhouse that will ensure no one hears what we have to say to one another.” Sasori explained their reason for the tour of the greenhouse as he opened the door for Sakura to enter before him.

“Thank you Sasori San.” Itachi inclined his head and followed the red head through the doors into the lush green beyond.

“How beautiful.” Shisui complimented.

“You mean functional, but yes, it does hold a certain...beauty. Does it not my dear?” Sasori waved them to a table and chairs in the more decorative end of the greenhouse by the flowering plants.

“Yes, beautiful and useful.” Sakura smiled.

The silence stretched almost uncomfortably between the four seated shinobi much to Sasori’s amusement and Sakura’s frustration. Shisui seemed entertained enough with his surroundings not to speak, his eyes darting around at all of the different and unusual plants surrounding them. Itachi, a naturally quiet person merely sat with his hands in his lap looking from Sasori to Sakura every now and then. Sasori preferred to let others speak first, taking the counter active approach to conversation but it was clearly driving Sakura mad...she wouldn’t stop shaking her foot under the table in her impatience.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to say something Sasori placed his hand over hers. “Why don’t you start by asking your questions dear?”

Sakura shot him a green eyed glare of annoyance that only deepened when she saw the corner of his mouth twitch in amusement…

Without pause she smacked him under the cover of the table on his leg and turned to Itachi whose face was schooled into an all too similar look of complete blandness as Sasori’s.

“I received your message through your summons as clearly as you received my letter. Was my explanation satisfactory?” She inquired, leaning forward in her seat slightly, her energy swirling around her in her excited state.

“Yes thank you Sakura San. It was quite a shock, some of your correspondence, it painted a very accurate and unfortunate picture, one we had already acquired most of the major pieces and placed them on the board, yours...filled in the blanks we didn’t know we were missing.” Itachi inclined his head.

“When Itachi told me, explained to me how you knew all of it, I almost didn’t believe him. I mean from the future! The war! It’s really amazing.” Shisui said in his own excitement at meeting Sakura. 

“As well as being incredibly helpful. Do try to remember this if Iwa or Kumo decided to stab us in the back won’t you?” Sasori drawled, flicking a bit of dust from his sleeve.

“Konoha and Suna have had an alliance since the end of the last war. We are already your allies Sasori San.” Itachi said politely, yet pointedly.

“I simply wish to ensure it stays that way, Uchiha San.” Sasori met the younger Uchiha’s eyes with a steady confident gaze.

“It will stay that way Sasori, what are we doing this for if not to ensure that.” Sakura rolled her eyes.

“A man’s word is only as good as his actions my dear, you should know that.” Sasori squeezed her hand then let it go.

“I am aware. It was Suna who betrayed the Leaf during my Chunin exams, not the other way around Sasori. You weren’t even in the village, so shush.” Sakura crossed her arms over her chest in protest.

Shisui snickered openly but stopped when Sasori’s cool amber eyes flickered to his brown ones.

“Shisui was summoned to Danzo before we left the village. Right before we left the village. He ignored it, however, we are sure Danzo will try to summon him again once the Chunin exams have started.” Itachi informed them.

“We also overheard the mummy bastard say he was going to capture you during the Chunin exams.” Shisui told Sakura. “It seems Danzo has made some sort of agreement with the Raikage.”

“Yes, the Raikage has made it no secret he desires Sakura for her healing skills, no doubt he thinks it will give him an advantage when he makes his move to take Suna with Iwa. However, we have taken measures to ensure Iwa signs an allegiance with Suna instead of Kumo.” Sasori laid one hand over the other on the table top looking at the Uchiha.

“Have you.” Itachi murmured thinking how this would affect Konoha’s alliance with Suna.

“I am going to take on two medical students from Iwa if the Tsuchikage finds my skills worthy. As head medic for Suna I am on first call for medical treatment during the exams. He will be able to observe my talents first hand. I have no doubt by the end of the Chunin exams we will have not only a new generation of skilled Chunin but a signed medical contract with Iwa and a newly signed treaty.” Sakura smiled confidently.

“Displacing Kumo down the line and out of the limelight where Iwa is concerned.” Sasori said, satisfied with the conversation as far as Suna was involved.

Itachi nodded. “I assume you wish to know what we plan to do with Danzo, am I correct, Sakura?” 

“I told you about his right arm and his right eye.” Sakura lowered her voice even though it wasn’t needed in the privacy of Sasori’s greenhouse.

“Yeah.” Shisui’s voice was grim.

“Danzo will be assasinated. We ask your permission to do it here in Suna under the guise of...an inter village accident.” Itachi said carefully.

“So Suna may be blamed?” Sasori scoffed.

“Kumo will be blamed.” Itachi said clearly, he didn’t want any misunderstandings going forward. They were all putting their necks on the line.

“How?” Sasori narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha. He might be willing to work with them for Sakura’s sake but that didn’t mean he trusted them like she did.

“By having Kumo assassinate him of course.” Itachi said.

Shisui tapped his eyes, they spun red and he smiled when he noticed Sakura didn’t look away from his eyes but looked into them instead. “You really are a Konoha kunoichi huh?”

“She is a Suna medic.” Sasori corrected Shisui with a narrowed look.

“I only mean that she didn’t look away from my sharingan Sasori San. I meant no disrespect.” Shisui let the red fade from his eyes as he retracted his chakra from his visual channels.

“We wrote a letter to the Raikage using the sharingan to duplicate Danzo’s handwriting and seal, ending their agreement to capture you Sakura San.” Shisui explained.

“It was worded rather forcefully, the Raikage will not be pleased.” Itachi added. 

“We heard he has sent numerous shinobi to abduct you and failed. We do not think he will hesitate to seek his revenge on Danzo.” Shisui told them with an easy laugh.

“The Raikage is known for taking care of loose ends, which Danzo definitely is. As an insurance, we have also sent an assassin to the Raikage, a former Anbu, to solidify the validity of our letter. It will appear that each is betraying the other.” Itachi nodded at Sakura’s look of calculated surprise.

“That doesn’t mean that Danzo still won’t have ordered your capture though, so tread carefully Sakura.” Itachi warned her.

“Have them assassinate each other, and no doubt reveal their treachery in the process?” Sasori hummed his own agreement.

“Sasuke said you were a genius. I thought perhaps he had been bragging but I guess not.” Sakura muttered as she looked at Itachi.

Itachi’s eyes softened for a moment before he looked down, then up again meeting her eyes. “I read what you wrote, about Sasuke...what he did after I left the village, what he became and how lost he was.”

Sakura nodded.

“I promise you, that will not happen this time. That is why we have taken it upon ourselves to do this. For Sasuke, for the clan and for Konoha.” Itachi inclined his head. “We are indebted to you Sakura San.”

“You mean.” She paused, was it her place to say…”The Hokage doesn’t know about your plan?”

The two Uchiha exchanged a guarded look. Itachi spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. “You told me about Danzo. I confirmed much of what you told me. I couldn’t go on hear say, you understand. You know lord Third has fond memories of his childhood friend.” Itachi didn’t elaborate.

“A weak Kage makes for a weak village. It’s astounding to me that Konoha hasn’t fallen yet with such simpleminded leadership.” Sasori scoffed.

“Sasori.” Sakura would have kicked him under the table if his foot hadn’t trapped hers preventing such an anticipated action.

“Your generation wasn’t to blame. I see no reason for you to take issue with my comment.” Sasori looked at the woman beside him, the challenge clear in his eyes.

“Itachi’s generation isn’t to be blamed either. Like him, my own generation was left to fight a war that should have ended over one hundred years ago, that is not the issue though.” Sakura kicked his foot under the table releasing her previously trapped foot from his own.

“What is the issue then dear?” Sasori smirked at her not at all upset about his aching foot.

“The issue is that what they are doing is treason!” Sakura threw her hands up in the air exasperated with the three men at the table.

“It is not.” Itachi said quietly.

“Oh Itachi I didn’t mean, I wasn’t calling you a traitor.” She felt like she was in a dream, sitting here talking like this with Sasuke’s brother, with Shisui the Teleporter...with Sasori of the Red Sand and yet...she had accepted it to be her fate in these last few weeks.

“We are simply doing what we have to, to ensure peace and to rid the Leaf of a cancer that has grown too long unchecked and is out of control.” Itachi met her eyes, his eyes so like his younger brothers, so like Sasuke’s.

“Sakura. You know what will happen if we don’t do this. You know what will come of the Uchiha, of Konoha, of all people you should understand the most why we are doing this.” Shisui smiled a lopsided smile at her.

“She understands, or she wouldn’t be here.” Sasori laid his hand over hers once more.

“I understand.” Sakura said quietly.


	41. Chapter 41

“There is only one team that hasn’t arrived, but there are still two more days before the exams begin.” Rasa poured himself a second drink and sat down beside Sakura on the couch in the main house’s sitting room, Sasori sat on her other side.

The Tsuchikage had arrived earlier that day along with the governing bodies of both Fire and Wind country.

“How is Yashamru’s team doing under your supervision Sakura?” Rasa asked, taking several large swallows of his drink.

Sakura watched with censored eyes as Rasa drank. He had been drinking a lot lately she had noticed, ever since he had returned from Iwa. She told herself that it wasn’t her fault, but she knew she had more than a little to do with his change in habits.

“Good. They are hard working and competent.” Sakura took a small sip of her juice and set it back down on the coffee table before she continued.

“Yashamaru trained them as well as he could to his level, they will be my first set of students along with the two I chose from the five canidates Iwa brought with them.” She told him.

Sakura had mourned the loss of Yashamaru silently with Gaara. It seemed the loss of one shinobi, no matter their connections, was nothing to give Rasa or Sasori pause.

Sasori’s second set of Anbu had returned without any sign or lead on the man and the search had been discontinued. When Sakura had protested that they should keep looking. Sasori gently pulled her aside and explained they had searched much longer than they would have for any other lost nin. That the only reason they had looked as long as they had was because he was the brother of the Kazekage’s deceased wife and that societal obligations had to be fulfilled.

She knew this wasn’t Konoha but she hadn’t experienced such harsh realities, even in her time. Gaara had told her of many differences between their villages but to hear of it and to see it were two different things.

Rasa’s voice brought her out of her thoughts.

“The governors are interested to witness your healing abilities along with the other visiting Kage Sakura. It seems it wasn’t such a bad idea after all sending out that caravan.” Rasa smirked into his third drink.

“Aside from the scores of Kumo nin trying to abduct her, yes it was a great idea, one of your best.” Sasori said sarcastically from her other side.

“She’s still here, she’s protected.” Rasa countered.

“I protect her, that’s why brother.” Sasori placed his hand on Sakura’s leg posessively.

The tension between the two brother’s had also increased since Rasa had returned from Iwagakure. It made Sakura very uncomfortable.

“I have some paperwork to go over before the exams start. My team will be with me in the field but I need to have the hospital set up for my absence. If you’ll excuse me.” Sakura kissed Sasori lightly on the cheek and nodded to Rasa as she left the two alone in the room together.

“You think you’ve won don’t you.” Rasa filled his glass again as he spoke.

Sasori watched the slow rise of the amber liquid as his brother poured himself another drink.

“I have won. She’s mine.” Sasori rose from the couch to leave but Rasa’s hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. Sasori let him have his moment.

“Have you slept with her yet?” Rasa asked boldly.

“Sex, does not define a relationship. Your drink gives you false confidence Rasa.” Sasori pulled his wrist from his brother's half hearted grasp.

“I would have bedded her by now.” Rasa said under his breath.

“You already would have lost her by now if you had ever even had a chance with her.” Sasori left the room, leaving his brother to drink himself into oblivion.

The last team from Kumo showed up just 5 hours before the first round of the exams started. Sakura rushed them to the clinic tent for their physical evaluation then rushed them to the guards with their paperwork.

“Good luck.” She smiled at each one of them and patted them on the head.

They were the enemy, they were Genin, but she wasn’t going to change who she was even if the guards gave her awkwardly funny looks as she smiled at the Kumo team.

“Thank you Sakura Sama!” The shortest of the Kumo team called back over his shoulder to her with a smile of his own.

Ryo followed Sakura back to the medical tent, taking his place just outside the front in plain view of anyone who cared to look. Sasori thought it best not to hide the fact Sakura had her own personal Anbu to see to her safety with so many foreigners in their village. Kumo wasn’t the only threat and he wanted to make sure if he couldn’t be with her, everyone knew someone was.

Around midday Shisui strolled into her medic tent with a lopsided grin on his face and a plate of rice balls wrapped with seaweed, stuffed with crab and beancurd.

“Oh my gosh these are divine, where did you get these?” Sakura closed her eyes in bliss as she took another bite of the offered rice ball.

“That old guy Kanta, Kenta whatever his name is, gave them to me for you. He said you didn’t eat unless someone made you and asked me to bring them to you.” Shisui smiled and popped one of the rice balls into his mouth.

“That was really kind of him. If he didn’t do that for me constantly I would shrivel up and die of starvation.” She laughed as the last two riceballs were eaten.

“Is it strange here? I mean, being from Konoha and then being here in Suna, as one of them?” Shisui leaned back in one of the tent chairs and watched her.

“It was at first but in my time all five nations came together and were united so, it was different already than what I had been raised in. The world changed, not just my surroundings.” She told him as she wrapped gauze bandages and placed them in their organized packs for easy access if she needed to run out onto the field for the second stage of the exam.

“I can’t even imagine what that was like.” He whistled.

“Sakura Sama, it is not wise to speak of such things here.” Ryo’s voice came to them from outside of the tent.

“You’re right Ryo, forgive me. Thank you.” Sakura made a face at Shisui who laughed.

“My fault Ryo.” Shisui called out to the Anbu outside of the tent who refrained from responding.

“Sorry Sakura. Itachi has been doing rounds at night, we took care of two of your would be late night visitors.” He laughed again. “Not that your man wouldn’t have taken care of them. Itachi says his way is more humane though, so he took care of them for you.”

“Humane.” Sakura muttered then looked up at Shisui who was still looking at her. “Yes, I can see how he might think that.”

Shisui watched the pinkette with interest. “Ah, I wondered.” He grinned.

“Huh? What?” Sakura asked the man confused by his statement.

“You share his interests don’t you, his uh, hobby?” Shisui made a face at her.

“Oh, well, it is a medical marvel isn’t it? I mean, I haven’t uh, made one myself but I have watched him while he worked and know the basics of the procedure.” She admitted.

“It’s not my place to judge you. Itachi doesn’t either. We’re grateful for your uh help. Don’t take it the wrong way or anything, I just find it unusual, for you, who you are and where you came from to be so, I don’t know...like him.” Shisui shrugged and grinned at her.

“War does things to you, changes your perspective.” She said quietly. She felt the need to defend herself, to object but there was nothing she could say.

“So it does.” Shisui stretched his arms over his head and yawned. “I’ll see you later. Itachi and I are running security for the second round, and need to get ready.”

Sakura walked him out of her medic tent and watched him jump and run across the Suna roof tops, his figure distorted by the midday heat. It was Fall, but Fall in Suna was still warm during the peak of the day. She looked back into her tent, she would need to pack her medic bag for dehydration as well. 

“Half of them passed.” Sasori stood beside her and watched the second round of Genin file past them out into the desert. “Is your medical tent ready?”

“Yes, my team has moved it out into position already.” She patted her bag that was strapped across her chest. “I have this too just in case I need to go out into the grounds.”

“I do not want you leaving the tent. Send one of your team members to go into the field if need be. They can bring the Genin back to your tent after emergency aid is given...if it is needed.” Sasori told her without looking at her.

“No. I will go if they need me.” Sakura stood her ground. “Kumo might be after me, there might be enemies waiting for me out there but I am Suna’s head medic, the only medic aside from Tsunade Senju qualified to fight on the front lines, and I have. I will not sit in the tent.” 

“Sakura.” Sasori began but he was cut off by the irritated woman beside him.

“You said I wasn’t weak.” She raised a pink brow to him, challenging him.

Sasori chuckled. “So I did, fine, but be careful, and take Ryo with you if you go into the field.”

Sakura nodded satisfied. “Thank you Sasori.” She kissed the corner of his mouth, then ran off out into the desert, Ryo close behind her.

“Be careful.” He sighed, turned and walked back to where Rasa and the other Kage were gathering.

Rasa’s eyes followed the pink head as Sakura disappeared out into the desert heat. His brother walked up beside him and stood looking out to where she disappeared over the second dune, Ryo’s sheathed blade flashed once in the sun, then it too disappeared over the dune.

“You told her not to leave the tent I hope.” Rasa said quietly, only loud enough for Sasori and perhaps the Third Hokage to hear him.

“Of course.” Sasori said evenly.

“Did she agree?” Rasa asked a little more loudly, surprised that Sakura would agree to sit and wait patiently for the injured to come to her.

Sasori scoffed. “Of course not.”

Rasa smiled beside his brother. The woman wouldn’t let a man tell her what to do, maybe that’s why he was so attracted to her. “Ryo is with her?”

Sasori turned to his brother, annoyed. “Of course he is, he is always with her if I am not.” 

“Of course.” Rasa replied shortly, the humor between them gone.

The second exam was much like the one Sakura had participated in during her second Chunin exam, only it wasn’t held in the same outpost as hers had been. She had asked Sasori about this and he had explained that no one had been to that outpost in over a decade and it would require too much time and money to prepare it for the exam, but perhaps in the future they would use it for that purpose.

Sakura stood outside in front of her tent looking out across the desert. She had seen Shisui and Itachi several times already as they circled the perimeter taking turns using their visual prowess to make sure no one entered or exited the marked boundaries without permission.

It was on the second day she heard the screaming before she saw Shisui flicker past her into the desert only to reappear a second later with one of the Kumo Genin in his arms bleeding from an arm that had been torn to shreds.

“Place him on the bed Shisui.” Sakura opened the flap to her medical tent as he ran inside and set the boy on the bed, his blood immediately staining the white of the bed red.

“I’ll be back, there was one more.” Shisui disappeared, returning a moment later with the other Genin Sakura recognized as one of the late arrivals from Kumo.

“There.” Sakura pointed to the other bed as she hooked a drip up to the first boy.

With green hands infused with her healing chakra she began to heal the Kumo Genin. A half hour into her healing the Kazekage, Tsuchikage and the lord Third entered her modest tent.

“Sakura, the Tsuchikage wished to observe your healing abilities. We heard one of the Kumo Genin had been attacked by a giant scorpion and came to inquire.” Rasa smiled smoothly as he watched the blood and tissue reform under Sakura’s expert hands.

“Fine but don’t get in my way.” She called over her shoulder as they moved further into the tent to observe.

Sakura ignored them as she turned her concentration back to the Genin under her hands. The other Genin’s injuries while extensive had been much easier to heal. She had sealed his wounds, disinfected them, gave him a bottle of water and sent him back to his one remaining teammate with the assurances their other teammate would rejoin them in two more hours at the most. She still had about another hour of healing before she would release him and she didn’t need any distractions...Kage or no Kage.

Sarutobi watched with great interest as the pink haired woman wove muscles, bone and skin back into an arm right before their eyes. “I don’t believe even Tsunade could manage such healing in such a short amount of time, this is very impressive Kazekage.”

“It is.” Rasa allowed himself a small smile. He had been blessed for many reasons the day Sakura had landed at his and Yashamaru’s feet.

“How long can she do this, maintain this calibre of healing?” The Tsuchikage was amazed but he would be damned if he would let the others know how impressed he was.

“As long as I need to, now please be quiet so I can do my job. You’re distracting me.” Sakura snapped at the three Kage before her.

Rasa and Hiruzen chuckled amused but the Tsuchikage bristled indignantly.

“I am the Tsuchikage girl, you can not talk to me with such disrespect.” The Tsuchikage began but was cut off with a sharp word from Sakura.

“In this tent, Tsuchikage, my word is all that matters, if you don’t like it, get out!” She bent her head back down and sealed up the rest of the boy’s torn flesh, ignoring the huffing sounds coming from the small Iwa nin.

“She is very, spirited.” Rasa chuckled at the Tsuchikage’s reddened face. “...but there can be no argument that she knows what she is doing and is worth her weight in gold.” Rasa nodded to the now fully healed Genin on the bed, the splattering of his blood on the white sheets evidence of the severity of his wounds, now healed.

“Indeed.” The Tsuchikage acquiesced with bad taste.

“Th thank you Sakura Sama.” The Kumo Genin bowed low to Sakura as she handed him a bottle of water and wished him good luck. “You saved my life. I will not forget your kindness.”

Sakura laughed and patted him on the head. “It’s my job, go get em.” She smiled good naturedly at the boy who hesitated under the heavy watch of the three Kages.

“My name is 賢い Yumoto Kashikoi, Sakura Sama. It was a pleasure to meet you.” Kashikoi flashed her a dazzling smile before disappearing right before her eyes.

“Wow.” She tapped her chin with her finger. “I couldn’t do that when I was a Genin.”

“It seems every generation is more skilled than the one before them. It makes me feel old.” The Third Hokage laughed behind her making her turn and smile at him.

“Ah Hokage Sama, you’re not old.” Sakura smiled sweetly brushing past them to clean her tent and organize her supplies so she would be ready for anyone else who might need her medical attention.

The Kage left shortly after that leaving her to clean and organize her things. Taking one of her soldier pills from her pouch she chewed it, took a sip of water from her bottle, and swallowed. She was low on chakra but not in danger of exhaustion. She wouldn’t risk not having enough chakra for the next emergency though.

Her team was with her but they weren’t fully trained and couldn’t have handled that last Genin on their own, yet. She realized she would need to teach them and fast. There was only one of her, she couldn’t be in two places at once. 

A vision of blonde hair popped into her head making her smile. The usual sadness that had accompanied her memory of those in her past since she had been sent back no longer plagued her. She felt like she was finally starting to move on, not forget but accept her surroundings as her new reality, she was grounded now, and happy.

With a few quick hand signs she called forth the familiar shadow clone Naruto had become famous for in her time. It took less chakra for her to call forth a shadow clone with her excellent chakra control even if she didn’t have as much chakra as Naruto. It would help. She dispersed the clone though, there was no sense in wasting chakra if there wasn’t an emergency.

The second day passed without incident and Sakura rose from her makeshift pallet in her tent to the smell of hot coffee, eggs and steamed rice on the third day. 

“Huh?” She blinked her eyes open to see red hair and amber eyes close to her face. “Ack!” She gasped backing away quickly, then laughed as she saw the look of astonishment on Sasori’s face.

“What are you doing?” She giggled as his look of astonishment turned to one of bored annoyance.

“I was going to kiss you but you seem to have other plans.” He turned to pick up the cup of coffee he had brought her and the bowl of rice and eggs, presenting them to her with a look of such despondent indifference she bit her lip to keep from laughing at him again.

This however did not go unnoticed by the man, his mouth twitched, making her giggle uncontrollably as she took the bowl and cup from him.

“I see your prolonged exposure to the desert has addled your sense.” Sasori sipped his own cup of coffee as he looked at her.

Sakura smiled demurely as she drank her coffee ignoring his jibe. He had come out here to bring her breakfast and to see how she was doing, she ducked her head to hide her eyes from him, she was pleased.

Sasori watched her over the rim of his cup. Her hair was tousled, her cheeks flushed and her eyes were bright in the morning sun that poured in through the flap of the tent he had left open when he had come to bring her breakfast. She was so beautiful, perfect in his eyes.

“Two teams were eliminated from the competition last night unable to continue after the loss of one of their teammates, the other simply couldn’t go on, exhausted by all accounts, and were disqualified. Your team has already seen to their minor injuries and only one of them was dehydrated.” He told her knowing she would ask as soon as her coffee was finished.

“The Kumo Genin you saved yesterday are doing well, too well. I have started an investigation into their background. They flew through all of the traps laid by the Suna proctors with too much ease.” Sasori said conversationally.

“You think they are the team that was sent to capture me?” Sakura asked curiously.

“Perhaps, or perhaps they are the ones who were sent to assassinate the Tsuchikage.” He said as if the reason didn’t matter, but she had learned a few tells of his in their time together, his fingers were twitching ever so slightly against the side of his leg.

“What is it, what do you know Sasori?” Sakura put down her now empty cup of coffee and looked at him.

“It isn’t what I know, but what I suspect.” He clarified.

“What do you suspect then?” Sakura rolled her eyes, picked up her chopsticks he had given her and started to eat her rice and eggs.

“I think the team you saved yesterday, the ones who were late and almost didn’t make it into the exams...were sent to assassinate Rasa, the Kazekage not the Tsuchikage.” He told her straight faced.


	42. Chapter 42

There was only one day left of the second exam and only two teams left out in the desert. The ones that had completed the task, that had both a heaven and an earth scroll and had made it to the tower in the center of the boundaries waited for their time to run out, rested and tended their minor wounds.

Sakura waited with Ryo outside of her tent, her eyes cast toward the desert, her thoughts on the last two teams remembering her own time in the desert and her first Chunin exam in the forest of death. At least Orochimaru isn’t here, she thought to herself ignoring the cold at the base of her spine.

Where was that snake now...she didn’t know. She made a mental note to ask Itachi once the second exam was over. There would be one month, like there had been for her first Chunin exam, in between the second and the third exams. Rasa saw no reason to run a preliminary this time as more than half of the teams were either disqualified, quit or forced to forfeit from the second exam.

Sakura wondered how he would move forward if the remaining two teams passed. There would be too many without a preliminary she hummed to herself.

Ryo shifted his weight beside her. He was a quiet man and didn’t speak to her often. When he did speak it was to ask if she wanted for anything, or a warning to her someone was coming or passing by, other than that, he remained quietly by her side. She didn’t mind though. She was grateful for his company.

“Do you have any siblings Ryo?” Sakura broke the silence between them.

“I realized just now I know almost nothing about you and I have spent so much time with you lately, it is a bit embarrassing.” She smiled at his surprised expression.

“I have a sister Sakura Sama.” Ryo inclined his head respectfully to her.

“Is she a shinobi too?” Sakura asked.

“No, our mother wished her to remain at home with her. My family are civilians.” He said stiffly.

Sakura understood, she was a civilian born too.” I am a civilian born too Ryo.” She smiled at his surprised gasp.

“It must have been hard for you to raise to Anbu with that over your head. I know it was hard for me in Konoha, it must have been particularly hard for you here. In fact, I didn’t know Suna allowed non shinobi born academy students to train to be shinobi.” She pursed her lips in thought. 

She was sure Gaara had told her that before, that he had fought the council in their time to let non shinobi clan kids attend the Suna academy. He had used Rock Lee and herself as examples of why non clan kids should be allowed to learn to be shinobi if they wanted too and how it didn’t matter if they had no ninjutsu or genjutsu skills.

Ryo knew where Sakura had come from and when, he heard and saw almost everything she did. They had never spoken of it so openly before though.

“Sasori Sama saw my potential and let me attend the academy under his sponsorship.” Ryo told her.

“Really?” Sakura was very surprised.

Sasori was not a man to give praise, recognition or to do something for someone that didn’t garner some sort of reward for himself. Sakura knew she was the only one he did things for, for her own sake, at least she thought she had been, until she had spoken to Ryo. She was surprised, but very pleased.

“It was an accident I believe.” Ryo began to tell her how he had first met Sasori of The Red Sand.

“I was helping my mother who was pregnant with my sister at the time. We were in the market buying groceries and there were two men there who...were harassing her, had been for some time.” Ryo’s voice leveled out to a controlled sort of hum. He was still angry Sakura could tell and she wondered what could have happened to make such a placid calm man lose his temper.

“My father had died four months prior and my mother was alone,without a man to protect her. As I said we were civilians and she was pregnant. Even if she would have remarried at the time, no man would take a pregnant woman as a wife, not until after the child was born at least.” Ryo didn’t look at Sakura as he spoke but she could tell he still knew she was there and listening.

“They followed us to a few of the fruit stalls, far enough away not to attract attention but close enough for me to notice them. They followed us home and into our house and...I killed them.” His fists clenched at his side.

“Oh Ryo.” Sakura laid her hand on his arm and he swallowed. ‘How old had he been’, she wondered.

“I was taken and the Kazekage at the time the Lord Third, he had signed my execution papers. I was a criminal in his eyes, nothing more.” Ryo looked down at his hands.

“I strangled them.” With a deep breath he continued. “Sasori Sama, he...at that time it was during the war, he had made a name for himself on the battlefield a bloody name.” Ryo turned to look at her.

“I know many people, including Megumu think the man is a monster but, I know he isn’t and I have never seen him as one. He is a good man I think just...an unusual one.” Ryo smiled a soft smile at Sakura.

“He stopped the execution. Demanded that I be placed under his supervision, he said he saw potential in me.” Ryo laughed. “He was only 13 at the time and he stood up in front of the entire council, the Kazekage and the elders to speak for me. He was impressive, even then.”

“I was surprised he was passed up to be the next Kazekage.” Ryo said. “...but maybe it was because of the arguments he had with his sensei, with the Lord Third that he had been passed up and Rasa made Kazekage.”

“Arguments?” Sakura asked, she had never heard of Sasori having arguments with the Third Kazekage, but of course the only one she might have heard it from would be Sasori himself and he tended not to talk about the Third Kazekage, perhaps this was why?

“Those two, student and teacher, they were always at odds, but Sasori was the stronger of the two in the end wasn’t he?” Ryo turned a knowing eye on Sakura.

“You know don’t you?” She looked into Ryo’s brown eyes, she knew he knew.

Ryo nodded. “It isn’t any of my business who he turns into a puppet.” 

“I owe him much. His secrets are safe with me. As are yours, my lady.” Ryo bowed low to Sakura.

“Thank you Ryo.” Sakura bowed to the man making his face tint pink with pleasure at her respect.

Sasori narrowed his eyes at the Daimyo who sat directly across the lunch table.

“Her healing skills alone will not drag you from this recession.” The man said in response to Rasa’s comment on the progress Suna has made since Sakura’s arrival.

“More shinobi mean more missions and with a medic nin as skilled as she is, we can offer a higher rotation to ensure success.” Rasa countered and Sasori mentally applauded his brother for his finesse.

“Of course but that doesn’t change the fact she is only one medic nin and a woman at that.” The fool continued to speak with abandonment. 

“I will say though, she is very pleasant to look at, that hair alone...I wouldn’t mind having her spread out in my bed.” He laughed loudly, obnoxiously as though he had told a very funny joke. 

Rasa cast a glance at his brother whose chakra had spiked almost as quickly as it had been repressed, and then one at the Uchiha who sat next to his Hokage. Each face was deceptively blank.

“You’d be dead before your head hit your pillow.” The voice of the Copy Nin had every head turning to him as he spoke leisurely from his seat on the other side of his Hokage.

“Kakashi.” The Hokage warned with a quick glance at the Daimyo of Fire who sat beside the Daimyo of Wind.

“Excuse me? What did you just say to me?” The Wind Daimyo sputtered at the white haired dog.

“I said she would have you castrated and your head lopped off before you could even decide where to touch her first.” Kakashi ignored the choking noises coming from the Hokage beside him and stared at the Wind Daimyo.

“How dare you, how dare you say such a thing to me. You shall be punished!” The man rose to his feet and pointed at Kakashi who barked out a laugh at the man’s pathetic display of power.

“You hold no power over me. Daimyo of the Wind.” Kakashi stood and left the table without permission or asking for leave.

“A rabid dog that one, wild and a disgrace just like his father.” The Daimyo tried to save face and laughed, looking around the table for affirmation.

“His father was not a disgrace, it was a tragedy. I apologize for Hatake San but your comment was inappropriate as well.” Hiruzen turned his tea cup in his hand.

“Such a topic for lunch.” The Fire Daimyo complained.

“I want that man punished.” The Wind Daimyo insisted leaning forward in his chair to glare at the Fire Daimyo.

“No, I don’t think that is wise, he has a reputation you know, good man that one.” The Fire Daimyo nodded to Sarutobi who smiled pleasantly at the man. 

“Student of Jiraiyah was he not?” The Fire Daimyo asked Sarutobi who nodded.

“Yes, yes I like that man too, good man.” The Fire Daimyo picked up a radish and crunched it between his teeth.

“Well, shall we move to the observatory and see if the last two teams have made it to the tower?” Rasa took advantage of the break in the conversation to change the focus from Sakura to the exam.

The men rose from their seats noisily and shuffled out the doors. Sasori’s eyes never left the back of the Wind country's Daimyo. The man was living on borrowed time and had been even before his deprecating comment about Sakura, his Sakura. He had just sealed his fate.

“With only an hour left in the second exam, should we start packing the tent up Sakura Sama?” Kita, the only female on her medic team asked her just as the sun was beginning to set.

“Yes, that’s fine. Leave my emergency pack out though, just in case.” Sakura pushed her hair back from her face and stood looking out at the desert.

The sun was setting, the last day of the second part coming to a close. There would be a month’s rest in between. She started a mental plan in her head where she would start her team for their instruction. Yashamaru had gone over most of the basics for her. Perhaps half way through the first year of the program she had established.

“It would be wise to start heading back as soon as the hour is up Sakura Sama. The giant scorpions come out at dusk to feed and we will be very enticing to them.” Ryo advised.

“Yes, I don’t want to run into any of them. Meeting one in my younger years was enough to last a lifetime, the second one I could have done without. I’ve no desire to meet a third one.” She laughed.

“We are only two hours out of Suna, if we are careful we might not run into any scorpions out here, but there are more than just scorpions that come out to hunt at night in the desert Lady Sakura.” She really wished he would stop saying things like that. 

It was getting dark and she didn’t want to admit it but it made her a bit nervous. Gaara had told her about some of the things that would come out at night in the desert as they lay in bed together during the war. She would tell him about the vicious monkeys of the Konoha forest and he would tell her about the giant snakes, and the massive spiders that would hunt humans for both food and fun.

“Um, are there still those giant hairy spiders out here Ryo?” Sakura didn’t know if she wanted him to answer her or not.

“Of course Sakura Sama, but don’t worry Sasori Sama gave me some bug spray.” Ryo said with a straight face.

“Bug spray? Is there really such a thing to detour the giant spiders?” She asked, relief washing over her. If Sasori had given it to him she knew it would work.

“Well, it masks our scent and our chakra signatures. It doesn’t repel them as much as it makes it so they won’t know we are here. We still have to make sure not to run into one. It won’t help if they actually see us.” Ryo pointed out logically.

“Er, right.” Sakura felt only the slightest bit better.

“So close.” Sakura jumped back from the giant spider’s pincers flipping up and over him with ease.

The night lights of Suna could be seen just over the rise of the next dune. They had almost made it home. Sakura sighed heavily and pulled her water bottle from her pack washing the ‘bug spray’ from her arms and legs, then flared her chakra. Someone would feel it and come, most likely Sasori. She smiled. She hadn’t seen him in two days and she...missed him.

“Sakura Sama.” Ryo called out to her.

“I’m fine, go for it’s legs you said right?” She called out to him ignoring the screams of panic from her team for the moment.

“Yes Sakura Sama.” Ryo darted in and out of the spider's legs under the cover of it’s belly slicing and cutting at the semi armored legs. 

The hairs on the thing were as long as her arms, hardened like steel and dense making it hard to cut the legs or do any sort of damage without damaging yourself in the process. A cawing in the distance had Sakura pausing, her fist raised in the air ready to strike the massive spider in the head as it scampered away from Ryo who had cut off one of it’s eight legs.

“Itachi.” She watched as a murder of crows flew from the sky over head, the crows wings turning from feathers to sharpened blades as the murder cut it’s way through the spiders body.

Chakra strings whizzed through the air past her head making her hair fly out in front of her, and wrapped around the remains of the spider. Sakura turned her head to see Sasori pull back both of his hands, strings attached, cutting the spider into smaller less threatening pieces.

“Sakura, are you alright dear?” Sasori detached his chakra strings from the remains of the spider, his head turning to ook her over for injuries.

“I’m fine, thank you for your help.” She smiled, then stumbled.

Sasori caught her by the arm and lifted her up into his arms. “See to the others Ryo. I am going on ahead with Sakura.”

“Yes Sasori Sama.” Ryo bowed low, tired himself. 

“Thank you Uchiha San.” Ryo bowed to Itachi who nodded.

“I’m fine, I’m just a little tired Sasori you can put me down.” Sakura protested as he ran over the sand with her in his arms.

“Nonsense you’ve been struck with the spider’s barbed hairs. I need to take it out and give you a minor antidote to it’s poison.” He jumped over the guard house flaring his chakra as he ran to his greenhouse.

Sakura looked down at her leg, there were two small hairs sticking out of the meat in her thigh that she hadn’t noticed during their fight. 

“How come I can’t feel it, does it have a numbing agent in its poison?” She marveled at the spider’s hairs sticking out of her leg. Gaara hadn’t told her about the hairs and she admitted she was more than a little curious and wondered if they could be manipulated into something medicinal.

“Yes, it numbs the punctured area and slowly releases a continuous flow of poison into your bloodstream via smaller sharper hairs along the base of the follicle.” Sasori opened the sealed door to his lab and then bit his thumb to release the seal to his hidden room.

“Where is this? I didn’t know this was here.” She looked around the large room wondering how he had managed to hide such a large space from the outside.

“There is a transportation jutsu seal in the doorway that is activated by my chakra signature, we are underground dear.” Sasori set her on the bed in the corner of the room.

Since they had begun to get closer, Sasori had made some adjustments to his private hidden room, starting with the bed. There was a comfortable couch with end stands on either side of it, along the wall by several book shelves of varying sizes that were loaded with books of all subjects. 

Sasori knelt down in front of his pink haired medic and pulled the hairs from her thigh without warning. Sakura grit her teeth expecting it to hurt but the pain didn’t come.

“That’s...a bit unsettling, I didn’t feel a thing.” Her thigh was bleeding, the blood flowed freely from the wound and yet she felt nothing, not even an itch.

“It will hurt and soon, let me disinfect it quickly and then, once you can feel your leg again, you can heal it.” Sasori bent his head to work on her leg.

Sakura smiled at the man, he really was a sweetheart. She remembered what he had done for Ryo and lifted her hands to his head, running her fingers through his hair. He looked up at her in surprise, she wasn’t usually this bold with her touch. 

She smiled at him and he couldn’t help but smile back at her. There was a look of such softness, trust and admiration in her eyes that he felt his face flush, if only a little bit. She was the only one who had ever made him feel this way, made him feel...desired.

“Sakura.” Sasori’s voice was quiet as he looked up at her.

“Kiss me Sasori.” She pulled him up from his knees before her, her arms laced behind his neck as he rose to meet her mouth with his own.

She smelled of the desert, of the sun and the heat and he couldn’t get enough of it. His hands were in her hair, his mouth was covering hers as she pulled him by the neck up onto the bed, pulling him on top of her. She opened her mouth to him and he slid his tongue inside taking her mouth with his own, sliding his tongue over hers, over the side of her cheek and lips.

“You taste sweet.” He murmured.

“Ungh.” She panted lightly, her head going fuzzy. “Sasori didn’t you say I needed an antidote?”

“Shit.” He moved off of her quickly, walking to a side cupboard along the wall and pulled out a small clear vial.

She took the antidote from him, drank it, her whole body started to tremble and shake.

“It’s okay, this is normal for the spider’s poison, you’re going to be okay. I promise.” He started to untie her pants and pull them from her legs.

“What are you doing?” She asked, not upset, more curious as she watched him take off her boots one at a time, then reach for the ties of her shirt.

“Undressing you, then washing you so you can sleep more comfortably.” He moved her hands from her chest where she was gripping the fabric while she shook, so he could slide the fabric of her shirt off of her shoulders.

Once she was in her underwear and chest wraps he pulled the blankets down from the bed and wrapped her in them. “I’ll start a fire, it’s getting cold out and the temperature will only keep dropping now that it’s fall. It’s particularly cold down here underground.”

Sakura nodded and watched, her body shaking slightly, but the shaking was less than it had been a moment ago and she knew it would be as he had promised. She sighed in relief.. Sakura watched him light a fire in the fireplace, add several logs and then move to the little kitchen area. Pulling a large pot from the shelf, he filled it with warm water from the tap, took a bar of soap from the sink and came back to kneel in front of her.

“I can wash myself Sasori.” She blushed a bit as he tried to take her hand in his bringing the wash rag over her knuckles then her palm, washing away the grime of the desert from her skin.

“I know you can. Let me take care of you.” His request was simple but held the weight of a promise reflected in his eyes.


	43. Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes dreams are just dreams and other times they foretell what may come to pass or what has happened that you might not be fully aware of in your waking hours...either way, it's hard to tell which is what, and what is not, from what is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Mei Allowed

She had fallen asleep by the time he had cleaned her to his satisfaction. Sasori tucked her into his bed and kissed her cheek. Quietly, he began to pick up her clothes and the washcloth. Placing the bowl in the sink, he moved about the kitchen space setting the kettle for tea on the stove and made a light meal for himself. With a plate made for Sakura in the refrigerator he took his plate to the couch and sat down with a book to eat and read before joining her in his bed.

The book he had chosen wasn’t interesting, he put his empty plate in the sink with the full intention of picking another book from his book shelf when Sakura started making small mumbling noises from his bed. Setting the book down on the table he moved over to the bed to check on her.

Her hair was loose and fell around her face like fairy floss, she was so beautiful. He almost couldn’t blame the Wind Daimyo for his inappropriate comment earlier that week, almost…

“Sasori.” She whispered his name against the side of her arm she had slung up beside her head.

Sasori leaned in to listen but she didn’t say anything else. He pet the hair back from her face looking at her openly without shame, no one was here to see him, not even her asleep as she was. 

He let his face fall into the unguarded adoration that he felt for her, his eyes took in the small crease of her mouth on the left side and only the left side. He smiled at her assuming it was from her biting her bottom lip on that side.

She was adorable, beautiful and his. He knew she wasn’t seeing anyone else, no one would dare speak to her knowing her connection with Gaara, himself and Rasa. Sasori knew Rasa still yearned for her but she held no interest for his brother, she was his in his eyes, only his.

As planned he had taken it slow with her, not forcing any physical contact that she hadn’t initiated herself. She talked in her sleep at times, and he had learned to listen as he had just a moment ago. Sometimes it was nothing, just rambling that made no sense. Other times though, it was quite substantial.

He had learned she had been the weakest of the three on her team when she had begged a boy named Sasuke to forgive her. His stomach had turned when he had listened to her tell this boy over and over that she loved him, but a chakra finger to her head dispelled any worries he had over the subject. He found that he could see visions of her dreams when he pressed his chakra into her Yin seal, and he had seen the boy shun her and walk away from her, over and over.

The fool, he thought at the time, but good for him. She was innocent in love it seemed. The Gaara of her time had been her first and her only, just like the tanuki had said. He had watched the romance play out in her mind one night a week ago as they lay in bed together. It had been brief but he had seen the way the man Gaara had looked at her and the way she had looked at him. He hated it, loathed it and knew that he could never let her return to her own time because if he did...he wasn’t sure...who she would choose.

The tanuki’s other words came back to him…’Can’t she?’

“It doesn’t matter.” Sasori said out loud, his hand holding Sakura’s possessively as she slept. “She isn’t going back, even if there is a way, even if she wants to...I won’t let her.”

Six months the boy had been with her. Six months and they had fallen in love with one another. She had been here for almost five months now. He wasn’t sure if she loved him or not, but he knew he loved her and he wasn’t going to give her up for anyone...especially not to a filthy raccoon jinchuriki.

_‘It’s always summer here in the field’, was her first thought as she looked around ._

_“Kaguya?” Sakura sat up in the field of flowers, the smooth warmth of the summer sun resting against her shoulders and warming the hair on the back of her head._

_‘I am here’, the Rabbit goddess floated into view, but remained at the edge of the field._

_“Will you not join me?” Sakura stood up and reached out her hand to the goddess._

_‘I can not, he keeps me away’, the woman replied cryptically._

_“He?” Sakura asked her._

_‘He’, the goddess replied, turned and disappeared before Sakura could open her mouth to protest._

_“You said you wanted me to save you though.” Sakura’s outstretched hand fell to her side._

_“She is not the only one who needs saving.” Sasori’s voice broke the silence and the world around them went cold._

_“Sasori?” Sakura turned her body to meet his gaze halfway, her fingers twitched._

_“Sakura, you deceived me.” His face was cold, his eyes hard as he looked through her._

_“What? I didn’t deceive you, about what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sakura moved to take his hand but he jumped back and away from her, his chakra strings shooting out from the fingers of his left hand wrapping around her throat._

_“You betrayed me!” His voice was hot, his anger visibly rolling off his person in waves._

_“Sasori, please.” Sakura’s fingers tried to dig under the string around her neck as her vision blurred...was she breathing, her chest seemed deflated but the burn the pain...she felt, dead, there was no struggle, the suffocation was…_

_“Yes, beg me, beg me for your worthless life.” A maniacal grin split his lips and his eyes went wide._

_“Sasori…” Sakura fell to the ground, her hands fell to her side. She sat in front of him on her knees._

_“Die, treacherous woman.” Chakra strings shot out at her from his other hand._

_“I love you Sasori.” She closed her eyes, but the death blow never came._

_Slowly, she opened them to find him in her arms, her lap, the chakra strings gone, his face peaceful...and the cold was gone._

_“What?” Sakura looked around the field, the flowers had returned, the sun was out._

_Sasori lay in her lap, his eyes closed, a small smile on his lips, he was asleep…_

_‘Do you love him?’ Kaguya asked, her body translucent by Sakura’s side, the light catching in her hair making it hard to focus on her eyes._

_“Yes.” Sakura nodded, then looked down at Sasori in her lap. “I love him.”_

_‘So it is possible’, Kaguya murmured, then disappeared, her silhouette floating off like vapor._

_Sakura pet Sasori’s hair as he continued to sleep in her lap._

_“Do you love him more than me?”_

_Sakura’s head jerked up…”Ga Gaara…”_

_The Fifth Kazekage stood before her looking down at her, his eyes blank, his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for her to answer._

_“Gaara I...I love you both.” Sakura looked up at Gaara, tears forming in her eyes._

_“You must choose Sakura. I don’t have long...I have to go soon, they are calling to me.” Gaara knelt down beside her, ignoring his Uncle in her lap and pressed his lips to hers. “You are the only woman I have or will ever love.”_

_...and like Kaguya he turned to vapor before her eyes and floated away into nothing._

_“Gaara.” She swallowed the pain in her chest, over her heart._

_“I want to wake up.” She cried._

_Thump Thump._

_Tears slid down her face and fell into Sasori’s hair. “Wake up Sakura.” She told herself, her nails digging into the ground._

_Thump Thump._

_“Sakura.”_

_Sakura looked down to find Sasori’s eyes open and watching her._

_“I will never let you leave me...alive.”_

_The world fell apart around her once more._

**Thump Thump.**

It was cold. She moved closer to the only seemingly close source of heat beside her under the soft blankets relaxing into the comforting smell of wood oil and cinnamon. ‘Sasori’, her senses told her and she smiled.

‘It was just a dream’, she told herself, a remnant of their past meeting their future...he would never hurt you, she told herself. 

‘Gaara is gone’, she reminded herself.

Sasori felt her wake, felt her move closer to him in his bed and willed himself to remain still, ‘let her come to you’, he told himself, ‘let her decide’.

‘Gaara I...I love you both.’ Her words were heavy in his head, he had heard her talking in her sleep. ‘Both’, was he one of the two that she spoke of while she dreamed?

Little hands rose and cupped his face. He could feel her indecision...and waited, only opening his eyes when her lips moved slowly over his, gently testing, tasting him with her senses.

“Sasori, I…” She stopped herself, kissed him again and took a deep breath while he held his in his heart.

“Sasori, I love you.” She breathed out as he breathed in, the pain in his chest subsiding.

His world exploded around him and he pulled her to him, roughly, possessively.

“Sakura, you...I love you, only you.” He held her close, his face buried in her neck, willing himself not to fall apart like a fool in her arms.

‘I’m sorry Gaara’, she closed her eyes, tears slipping from the corners, the last that she would allow herself to cry for the man she had loved, her first real love.

When her eyes opened again, Sasori’s eyes were before hers. 

“Let me adore you.” He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, his breath short and measured as though he were worried if he breathed too much, he might suffocate.

“Adore me.” She ducked her head in embarrassment at her own words.

“Do not be embarrassed, do not hide from me.” Sasori caught her hand in his and kissed her fingers one at a time, his eyes never leaving hers. “We have nothing to hide from one another now.”

Sakura closed her eyes, for a man like Sasori, saying such words meant forever.

Sakura took a calming breath, “Forever.”

“I have been with other women, but they meant nothing to me.” He told her, brushing the hair back from her face, looking at her with those eyes of his.

“I’m not a virgin.” She assured him, lifting her head bravely meeting his gaze boldly.

“I know, but no other, after me, only me, forever and only you, I promise.” He pulled her up on top of him, one hand on the small of her back, the other in her hair behind her head.

“I promise.” She leaned down to kiss him again.

Sasori opened his mouth to her and let her tongue slide past his lips. He let her take her time to explore him, her hands moving over his chest, up around his shoulders, into his hair. He waited for her to adjust herself over his growing sex, their under clothes rubbing against their sensitive skin, each movement brought the friction and the heat of their desire closer and closer to the surface.

“Mine.” He whispered in her ear, flipping her over.

“Yours.” She exhaled with a giggle.

He was careful, as though he were worried she would change her mind. It broke her heart to watch him, he was so...attentive, it almost hurt. With the same precision he cut into the flesh of his human puppets, he undressed her. Gently at first, moving his hands lovingly over the bare skin of her chest, her wraps unfurling a little at a time until she lay bare breasted before him.

“Mine.” His whispered claim aroused her, making her squirm ever so slightly under his heated gaze.

With less care than he had taken when undressing her, he shed his own simple clothes. She watched, her bottom lip between her teeth as he removed his shirt, and pants. The clothing slid to the floor as he slid his body over hers.

“We can...wait if you...if you’re not ready.” He gave her one last chance to tell him no, to say it wasn’t what she wanted, to reject him…

She could feel the thumping of his heart against her chest, the want and the heat rolling off of him, searing her flesh where their bodies touched. “Touch me Sasori.” She whimpered.

Thump Thump.

Chakra strings stretched out from his fingers lifting her body to meet his mouth, his hands gripping her hips as he pressed his lips over her chest taking one of her nipples into his mouth. She could feel his strings moving over her body, curving over the slope of her breasts as his tongue flicked her nipple. 

“Sasori.” She moaned, his teeth biting gently on the side of her breasts, as he moved his body against hers. 

She could feel his want heavy against her inner thigh. Her eyes fluttered open then closed again as his chakra strings moved down her body to her sex, shifting her weight and spreading her legs apart a little at a time. 

It had been so long since he had been with a woman, and never had he been with a woman quite like this. Rising onto his elbows to brace his weight, Sasori looked down in between their bodies. “Is this okay?” He asked her almost timidly.

Sakura bit her lips and nodded as his strings slid over her entrance and teased her clit. Sasori watched as his strings opened her up for him, moved up and into her sex. He watched her face as he twitched his fingers, moving his strings inside her body, pushing and pulling against the sides of her passage. 

“You’re so beautiful Sakura.” He bent his head and kissed her deeply, his finger breaking the chakra strings, sliding up into her hot passage, his other hand held her thrashing at bay as she tried to thrust up to meet his touch.

“More.” She moaned, her head tossing to the side, her hair spread out in a mess over his pillow. She wanted to get closer to him, she wanted him to touch her more deeply.

“Of course my dear.” A promise.

Strong hands lifted her legs up and spread them open so he could settle in between them, his cock bumped up against her wet making him close his eyes as he pressed himself into her, one inch at a time until he felt his tip hit the back of her sex. He let out a small grunt of pleasure at the feeling and looked down at her. 

“Look at me.” He told her, gently rocking into her, his cock thumping gently against her cervix making her eyes flutter.

“I will not share you.” He quickened his pace once her eyes were open.

“You belong to me.” He commanded lifting her ass up with his hands forcing himself deeper into her sex.

“Only me.” Sasori fell over top of her, his weight flattening her to the bed, gripping her shoulders to keep her from moving up on the bed and away from him with every thurst.

“Mine.” He growled in her ear, her body thrusting up against his, meeting him stroke for stroke.

“Yes Sasori, yours.” She tossed her head from side to side as he filled her, moved her where he wanted her and filled her again.

Sakura arched her back up, pushing him off her chest as the pressure began to grow inside of her. 

“Sasori.” she panted. “Fuck.” She gasped when he hit a particularly sensitive spot inside of her making her tremble.

A smile curved his lips. “There?” He ploughed into her again, faster, harder with more focus than before.

A silent scream escaped her, her throat closed up in pleasure and she struggled for air.

“There.” He said with renewed satisfaction at her reaction.

He lifted her up into his arms, bending her back in a seductive arch as he made love to her. He could feel his own pressure growing inside of him, he was close...where should he…

“Sakura.” he gasped out in between thrusts, “Where should I…”, but before she could answer his whole body tensed up. “Shit.” 

Sakura’s eyes went wide and her mouth clamped shut as he exploded inside of her, she felt every pump, every pulse of his hot cum shoot up against the walls of her inner sanctum. He pushed into her a few more times, slowly, ruthlessly tender, his cock pulsed in time with her heart until he lay on top of her, his cock growing smaller and smaller until it slipped from her passage to fall harmlessly against the side of her leg.

“I love you.” 

She closed her eyes, he opened his.

“I love you.”

She felt him gather her up in his arms, turn her into his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around her as he pulled the covers back up and over their naked bodies. 

“I’m never going to let you leave me.” His words barely registered in her head as she drifted off to sleep.

Gaara woke with a start, a pain gripping his small heart as he gasped for breath.

**‘Lost!’, Shukaku was screaming in his head. ‘Our mate is gone, lost!” He cried over and over.**

‘What?’, Gaara asked the tanuki worried at his sudden outburst. It was different from the angry ones the tanuki used to have before Sakura had arrived and not quite like the pouting annoyed ones he had lately.

**‘She left us, left us!’, Shukaku roared over and over in misery.**

**‘That man, he took her away from us!’, Shukaku was rolling around in a ball in his head bumping up against the walls of his cage crying himself into a stupor.**

**‘Alone, we’re alone again’, Shukaku lay flat on his back looking up into the darkened ceiling, tears streaming from his black and yellow eyes.**

‘Who left us?’, Gaara didn’t understand.

**‘Our mate!’, Shukaku glared at him. ‘This is your fault!’, Shukaku yelled at him.**

‘Sakura?’, Gaara asked, confused by the tanuki’s sudden change in behavior.

**‘Yes, our mate, you let that Puppet Master get too close for too long, I told you it was a bad idea boy, I told you not to let her get too close to that man, now she’s left us, he has taken her and we will never get her back.’ Shukaku rolled into a ball in the corner of his cage turning his back on Gaara.**

‘Ka San? Is with Uncle?’ Gaara didn’t understand why that was bad. ‘How do you know’, Gaara asked.

**‘Not your mother boy, our mate. She was ours and you let another man take what was ours, she will never want us back now. She has my heart sealed with hers! I know everything that happens to her...she was our mate...’ Shukaku continued to mope.**

‘You said when I was older though, we would have her’, Gaara protested.

**‘I did, and we would have only...I didn’t consider the possibility of her loving him, only bedding him, but love...I thought she only loved us.’ Shukaku unrolled then rolled back up in a different position.**

‘Ka San does love us though Shukaku’, Gaara still didn’t understand.

**‘Idiot’, Shukaku mumbled. ‘You’ll see, hurry up and get older boy, so we can take her back’ Shukaku refused to say anymore to Gaara, rolled up into a ball as he was, he continued to ignore the boy’s ridiculous questions.**

His mate was in the arms of another, in love with another, it would be at least another twelve years before Shukaku would be able to take over the boy and take her back...and he would, she belonged to them, him and the boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh I just read this and the smut was horrible, I'm so sorry.
> 
> The smut in the deleted scene was sooo much better, sigh I wasted my efforts on something I deleted lol.
> 
> Maybe I'll have them do it again and give it another go lol.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Mei Allowed

Rasa found her, as he predicted, in the hospital, Gaara beside her as she explained the basics of chakra control and it’s importance pertaining to medical jutsu. He waited patiently for her to finish her explanation and only approached her once her five students had broken off into ill numbered groups. They were practicing their chakra control to revive fish that had been set up over seals around the classroom.

The second exam had ended with too many participants, but instead of having one on one matches they teamed the Genin up according to random numbers. In two weeks, there would be eight matches between the sixteen remaining participants. Two versus two.

In the meantime, Sakura had chosen her two Iwa students from the five the Tsuchikage had brought with him and had started the basic classes for them along with her own medic team. Rasa had given them their own classroom, anticipating the success of the program and setting up students for her for the two years after her current students graduated.

Sakura had rolled her eyes when he had told her but smiled none the less pleased he was happy and speaking to her regularly again. Their interactions had been rather touch and go since his return from Iwa and the start of her and Sasori’s relationship. He had visited her less, spoken to her less and had seen her...less, overall.

However, with the start of the new season and the second exams over he seemed to want to spend more and more time with her. Which both pleased and worried her. 

Sasori was a jealous man. Not that she blamed him for it. Gaara had been much the same way. Sakura understood it came from not having love in your life, that affection, human contact and adoration that most people get when they are children, from their parents.

Neither of the men in her life had that from their parents, friends or family. Naruto had been the same way for a long time, jealous of her crush on Sasuke, jealous of the attention Sasuke got that he never had. She smiled to herself thinking of her boys.

Moving up alongside her as her students dispersed he smiled. She had done well during the first and second exams. While Yashamaru was an unexpected loss, she had filled his spot admirably and much more efficiently. He had only one complaint. His brother Sasori. 

They seemed to grow closer to one another by the day, particularly after her return from the desert and the second exam. He had been told that she had been injured but when he went to the hospital to check on her she hadn’t been there. 

No one could find her in fact, not even Gaara. He learned later that evening from Ryo that Sasori had taken her somewhere private, to heal her and administer an antidote to the spider’s poisoned barbed hairs that she had been struck with, and he relaxed.

It wasn’t until the following morning he grew suspicious of their continued absence over breakfast and at lunch. When asked, Gaara simply told him they were together...an unsatisfactory answer. Rasa hadn’t seen them until dinner the following night.

Sasori had looked smug and Sakura had looked worn. When asked what they had been doing, Sasori had claimed medical interests, while Sakura had blushed a deep red. Rasa wasn’t a fool. Something had happened between his brother and his head medic and he wasn’t pleased about it.

“How is the program going? Everything appears to be running smoothly.” Rasa stood beside her at her desk as she went over her morning notes. His eye trailing absently to some of the pills and liquids she had gone over with her students the day before when he had visited her.

“I’m pleased with their progress, but the next step depends on their individual abilities. Everyone moves at their own pace from here on out.” She smiled up at him, her eyes darting around the room quickly checking on her students.

Rasa nodded, his hand moving over the smaller bottles of pills, looking up at her every now and then. “Is this one the new soldier pills you made a few days ago, or is it the mental sedative and chakra blocker?” He asked her, picking up the bottle in question.

“Huh? Oh um, that’s the sedative and chakra blocker for interrogation I just made, it’s nice, it’s gentle but very effective, in fact the person won’t even know they’re drugged until you get everything you want from them.” She replied absently, looking back down at her paperwork.

Rasa slipped the bottle into his pocket, then turned back toward her to speak to her again.

“Excellent, I am pleased to hear. The council has voted on your additional funding. I would like to go over the projection for the year with you, now that you have chosen your Iwa students and have had the opportunity to assess their strengths.” He placed a hand on her shoulder...innocently enough.

“Oh well, um.” Sakura looked at Gaara who was watching his father with a concerned unfocused look on his small face. Shukaku was talking to him.

“Just dinner Sakura, or lunch if you prefer?” Rasa said casually.

“I’m seeing Sasori for lunch, um dinner is good, okay. Dinner.” She frowned at the paper in front of her. Sasori was not going to be pleased.

“I’ll see you for dinner, come early for drinks per usual.” Rasa squeezed her shoulder and left her classroom.

Gaara jumped down from one of the desks he had been sitting on and climbed up onto her lap. “Shukaku says not to have dinner with my father.”

“Oh?” Sakura had been told a number of things that the tanuki did or didn’t want Sakura to be doing since she had slept with Sasori. 

She had even had a small talk with the raccoon, asking Gaara to let Shukaku have control for the conversation. It hadn’t gone well. Shukaku had cried and begged her to wait for Gaara to grow up, and had promised he would make it up to her if she waited for them.

It had made her feel horrible, but she told the tanuki things were different now, that he was not her mate and Gaara was not her...lover. They hadn’t even been together long enough to decide what they were to one another. Shukaku had gone rigid with hurt and disbelief.

Shukaku had refused to speak with her again since then and had taken to telling Gaara to tell her what he thought she should or shouldn’t do...it was very unnerving.

“Shukaku can mind his own business.” Sakura kissed Gaara on top of his head and spun him around to face her papers on her desk. “Help me read these okay my little cuddle bug.”

Gaara nodded and they spent the rest of the morning reading papers together, organizing files and doing her rounds at the hospital followed by her team and the two Iwa nin.

“Kazekage Sama, Sasori Sama.” A masked Anbu bowed low in front of the Kazekage and his brother. “The daimyo of Wind was found dead in his room, moments ago. There was no sign as to who may have assassinated him.”

“Did you do it?” Rasa immediately turned suspicious eyes to his brother who looked back at him annoyed.

“I did not. I had planned on it, but I wouldn’t be so sloppy as to do it now, here, while under such high suspicion, surely you must know that Rasa.” Sasori scoffed, he was insulted.

“I suggest you ask the Konoha dog.” Sasori smirked. If the dog had done it, he would send him a present in prison.

Rasa nodded slowly, his brother was right, it could have been Hatake. “Bring me Hatake Kakashi.” Rasa told his Anbu who disappeared at his command.

“Kakashi didn’t kill the Wind Daimyo, Kazekage Sama.” Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui materialized in a flurry of crow’s feathers before the Kazekage and his brother. “He was poisoned by a, lady of the night.”

“A prostitute?” Rasa asked unsure where the Wind Daimyo would have found a prostitute in Suna, as far as he knew, there weren’t any.

“His guard brought her to him last night from one of the neighboring Sand villages.” Shisui added with a small cough of his own.

Rasa rose from his seat and banged his fist on his desk. Two masked Suna Anbu dropped into the room. “Find her.” They disappeared as quickly as they had come.

“Thank you Uchiha Sans.” Rasa inclined his head to Itachi and his brother as Kakashi strolled into the office.

“You wished to see me?” Kakashi drawled out lazily without using the Kazekage’s title.

Rasa narrowed his eyes at the man, he still hadn’t forgotten how he had tried to man handle Sakura during his last visit. “The issue has been clarified, you are no longer needed until further notice.”

Kakashi lowered himself down into a seat in front of Rasa’s desk without permission. “She looks almost exactly like her, the hair is dyed of course, no one but Sakura has naturally pastel pink hair that I know of, but the eyes are close enough, to pretend.” Kakashi smirked.

“You know where she is don’t you, the woman who poisoned the Land of Wind’s Daimyo.” Sasori raised a brow at the man. While Sasori didn’t like the man’s interest in Sakura, he didn’t deny the man his due either, he was sharp, talented and dangerous. He could be used.

“I would have thought you were getting enough of the real thing by now, unless she isn’t enough to satisfy you?” Kakashi barked out a rude laugh.

“Kakashi, whoa man you can’t say things like that. Besides, if Sakura heard you, she’d kick your ass man.” Shisui laughed a much more regular, tension defusing kind of laugh.

“Perhaps you’re right.” Kakashi stood up, stretched and turned to the Kazekage. “I simply recommended a woman I knew in a nearby village that might interest the Wind Daimyo to his guard. It’s not my fault or concern if the woman had a previous grudge against the man, something about her sister if I recall.” Kakashi walked out of the room leaving the others to contemplate his words without him.

“Well, that takes care of that. Suna is not implicated, the guard is to blame for not looking into the woman’s background more efficiently.” Sasori rose and left the room.

Shisui and Itachi glanced at the Kazekage who seemed to be thinking of something and had forgotten that they were there. “Please excuse us Kazekage Sama.” Itachi bowed low and left with his cousin who had also bowed in respect to the Kazekage.

Rasa sat down at his desk. His Anbu would find the woman, she would be executed, Suna wouldn’t be blamed like Sasori had stated. He relaxed into his chair. 

Megumu pinned Sakura’s hair up, frowning while she did so. She didn’t like that her friend was spending so much time with the Poison Master, but she could see, like anyone else with eyes in their head and a half functioning brain that the man made her happy. So, she wasn’t pleased when Sakura had come home that day from the hospital telling her she was having dinner with the Kazekage, alone.

“Does Sasori Sama know you are having dinner with his brother tonight Sakura Sama?” Megumu asked as she slipped the last pin into Sakura’s hair.

“I told him at lunch, he was less than pleased because he has to leave tonight to check on a shipment of rare herbs outside of Wind. We didn’t have any plans but I didn’t want him to think I was trying to hide it from him either.” Sakura said seriously. 

Megumu nodded. The Kazekage had asked her to dinner on a night he knew his brother would be gone...

“Rasa just wants to go over the projections for the next year, it will be fine. I won’t be long.”

Megumu didn’t know if her friend was saying it to assure her, or herself. “All set.” Megumu patted her hair once more before smiling at her friend in the mirror.

“Thank you Megumu. I’ll be home in time to tuck Gaara in, thanks for looking after him for me.” Sakura picked up her pouch and tied it up under her obi before she left.

“It’s my pleasure Sakura Sama.” Megumu said to the now empty room. “Good luck.”

Rasa was waiting for her by the door of the sitting room, drink in hand. “Thank you for joining me Sakura.” Rasa watched her walk into the room and sit on the edge of the couch.

“Would you like a drink?” Rasa moved to the bar to mix her a drink before she could tell him she only wanted juice or tea.

Taking the bottle of sake down from the shelf he poured a few inches into her glass. With only the slightest hitch in his movements he dropped the small pills he had placed on the shelf earlier into the glass and stirred in some juice until the pills had dissolved.

With a smile he turned to her, glass in hand and set it on the coffee table before her.

Rasa watched her out of the corner of his eye as he picked his own glass back up and drained it. After refilling his third glass for the night he leaned back on the couch.waiting for her to pick up her drink.

“Kenta asked for the night off, but he prepared dinner before he left. There is dango in the icebox, I swear that man spoils you.” Rasa teased her trying to loosen the nerves that were twisting in his stomach. ‘This is a mistake’, he told himself.

Rasa drained his glass again.

Sakura frowned at the Kazekage. She was worried about him, he had been drinking far too much. It wasn't good for him. “Rasa, I’m worried about you.” She began but he got up from his seat and moved to the bar to refill his drink again.

“Why is that Sakura?” He asked once he was sitting beside her once more.

Sakura hesitated. They were shinobi. Everyone had their vice, even her, she dwelled on things too much, worried too much, was a bit of a perfectionist and overworked herself constantly. It really wasn’t her place to say anything to him about his crutch…

To cover her apprehension she picked her drink up and took several healthy swallows. Rasa watched her with such an obvious intensity she paused before taking another drink.

“What?” She asked him.

“Sasori won’t be back until tomorrow, midday, perhaps later. You’re welcome to stay at the main house tonight if you like, with me.” Rasa moved closer to her, his arm brushing hers as he leaned forward, presumably to fill her glass with the bottle he had in his hand.

“That’s okay, Ryo is at the cottage, I’ll be fine.” Sakura looked down at her glass, the contents seemed to move and she blinked.

“Ryo was sent on a special mission, last minute I’m afraid.” Rasa watched her blink into her glass.

“Why would, I thought he was only to watch me, wasn’t that what you wanted?” Sakura couldn’t seem to…

“What I wanted...” Rasa took one of her hands in his.

Sakura looked dumbly at her hand encased in his larger one. “Rasa?”

“Drink the rest of your drink, then we’ll go into the dining room.” He turned her hand over and rubbed little circles in her palm making her shiver.

“I. Okay.” She tipped her glass back and drank the rest, her hand and glass falling rather clumsily back into her lap.

Rasa took the glass from her hand before it could fall.

“Tell me Sakura. Why did you push me away that night, when we were becoming more intimate together, here, on this couch?” His voice was soothing, soft and misleading. He ran his finger up the inside of her forearm making her skin tingle.

Sakura opened her eyes, something was wrong. She knew she wasn’t this tired. “I told you why Rasa.”

“Does Sasori not remind you of Gaara though, he is his Uncle.” Rasa pulled her to him, lifting her with one arm so she was sitting sideways on his lap.

“Hum? No, they are...different, so different.” She leaned her side against his chest and closed her eyes.

Rasa tipped her head up with the back of his hand, his mouth hovering just over hers.

“What are you doing father?” Gaara was standing in the doorway to the sitting room looking in at them.

Rasa’s head whipped around to the door to stare at his youngest son. “Gaara.”

“I’m so sorry Lady Sakura, Kazekage Sama.” Megumu rushed to the door of the sitting room pulling Gaara back against her legs. Her eyes widened as she looked into the room and saw Sakura on the Kazekage’s lap.

“Sakura Sama?” Megumu moved into the room looking at her friend who seemed...ill.

“Sakura had a bit too much to drink. I was just about to call for you Megumu. You have...excellent timing.” Rasa lifted Sakura in his arms and hugged her to his chest.

“If you will?” Rasa nodded to the door. “I think what I had planned to do with Sakura this evening is...is cancelled.”

Megumu followed the Kazekage and her friend out of the room down the hall to the backdoor which Gaara opened for his father with his sand. They walked down the steps to the cottage where Megumu opened the door for the Kazekage.

Rasa laid Sakura in her bed, leaving her to Gaara and Megumu.

Megumu sat on the end of Sakura’s bed, her head bent thinking hard. She wasn’t entirely sure what she and Gaara had walked in on but she was sure that Sakura wasn’t sleeping a voluntary sleep right now.

“Gaara Sama?” Megumu called to the boy who was laying down beside his mother on the bed.

“Your father, he wouldn’t...hurt Sakura Sama would he?” Megumu asked the boy quietly.

Gaara looked up from where his head had been beside Sakura’s and thought about the maid’s question. “I don’t think so, but Shukaku said that if we hadn’t interrupted him tonight, he would have, badly.”

Megumu clasped her hands together over her chest. “I thought so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a deleted scene to this chapter that would have thrown this whole damn fic out of control...which is why it was deleted and re written :P I'll add it to the list of other deleted scenes and chapters to post when the fic is finished.


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Mei Allowed

The moment Sasori entered the cottage he knew something wasn’t right. Sakura’s chakra signature was too faint and he hadn’t felt Ryo’s chakra signature on the roof.

“It’s past noon, why is Sakura still in bed?” Sasori stood in the door of the kitchen looking in at Megumu, annoyed no one had stopped him until he was already in the kitchen of the small cottage. “Where is my nephew?”

“Sakura Sama is um, not well. Young Gaara is with her, in her room Sasori Sama.” Megumu bowed low, refusing to meet his eyes.

Sasori narrowed his eyes at the woman. The maid wasn’t telling him everything, he needed to see Sakura for himself. The door to the bedroom was open and Gaara’s redhead was on the pillow besides Sakura’s.

“Where were you?” Gaara popped up from the bed and demanded of his Uncle. 

“I had something that I needed to attend to. Why is your mother still in bed?” Sasori sat down beside Sakura and felt her forehead. She was warm but not fevered.

“She didn’t feel well last night. Father told Megumu and I to take her home and put her to bed, so we did.” Gaara told his Uncle.

_‘What happens between us, stays between us’_

Sakura’s words had come back to Gaara in the middle of the night as he lay awake next to his Ka San. He had decided against Shukaku’s ranting, not to tell his Uncle what he and Megumu had seen, or what he had seen earlier the previous day in his mother’s classroom. He had told Megumu that morning to do the same. Let his Ka San tell his Uncle if she wanted.

Sasori looked at his nephew. Gaara had never lied to him, but he also never had a reason to lie to him. Did he have one now? Gaara’s cool teal eyes stared back at him, calm and unwavering...Sasori dismissed the boy, he would ask Sakura when she woke what had happened.

“Stay by your mother and come get me the moment she wakes up.” Sasori told his nephew before walking out of the room. He wanted to speak with his brother.

Gaara nodded and watched his Uncle walk out of the room, Shukaku muttering in his head something about how the man was leaving her again and how he would never do such a thing. Gaara shook his head to quiet the tanuki, he needed to think.

Sasori entered the Kazekage’s office without knocking. “What happened last night, when you had dinner with Sakura, why is she still in bed?” Sasori ignored the two Uchiha and the dog that were standing before the Kazekage.

“Sasori, welcome home. Perhaps we could speak in a moment.” Rasa nodded to the three Konoha nin before him. He did not want to have this conversation now.

“Why is she still sleeping, Rasa, what did you do to her?” Sasori’s voice was cold but his eyes bore heated holes into his brother’s skull as he questioned him, ignoring the men behind him.

Rasa sighed. “She drank too much, we didn’t even make it to dinner before she fell asleep. Megumu and Gaara took care of her, she’s fine.”

“Intoxication wouldn’t keep her incapacitated for this long.” Sasori objected.

“Really? As I recall, you woke me up rather rudely the day you met Sakura. I had slothfully slept past noon then , just like her.” Rasa laughed a practiced laugh.

“Sakura is not you.” Sasori narrowed his eyes at his brother taking in his pulse, his breathing and the slight twitch of his hand. “You’re not telling me everything Rasa.”

Rasa’s temper flared. The man already had the woman, she had already chosen him, what did he really have to complain about. “Ask her yourself when she wakes then if you suspect foul play.” Rasa snapped at his brother no longer caring that they had an audience.

“I intend to.” Sasori swept his robes up and left the office without a backward glance.

Kakashi and Shisui both narrowed their eyes at the Kazekage but Itachi merely looked on with his usual placid calm. Clearly there was more to the story but Itachi was confident the Puppet Master could handle his own affairs. 

Besides, after Kakashi had admitted he had planted the seed for the Wind Daimyo’s demise, they had other things to worry about.

“Now then, before my brother interrupted us, I was telling you that there would be no repercussions for Konoha’s contribution in the death of the Wind’s Daimyo.” Rasa continued their previous conversation.

“The woman was found by my Anbu last night.” Rasa ended the conversation and stood.

Itachi and Shisui stood and bowed but Kakashi remained in his seat. 

“Where is the woman?” Kakashi asked the Kazekage.

Rasa bit the inside of his mouth, the man hadn’t used his title since his last visit and it bothered him.

“She is being detained until her execution.” Rasa moved from behind his desk, indicating that it was time for them to leave his office but the Copy Nin remained relaxed in his chair.

“When is the execution?” Kakashi tilted his head back so he could look at Rasa when he answered him.

“It is to be determined, at my pleasure.” Rasa snapped, losing what little remained of his patience.

“I see.” Kakashi rose to his feet, stretched obnoxiously , turned and smiled at the Kazekage. “I’d like to watch that, I hope it happens while we’re still here.”

Rasa didn’t respond, but watched the team leave his office with a small pain in his side...named Kakashi Hatake.

“Why would you want to watch some civilian executed Kakashi?” Shisui asked as they walked down the steps of the Kazekage’s municipal building.

“The Kazekage isn’t going to execute the woman while we’re here, perhaps not even after we leave.” Itachi answered.

“What, why not?” Shisui didn’t understand, he hadn’t been there the last time, he didn’t know what Kakashi and Itachi knew.

“The woman looks too similar to Rasa’s obsession, he will want to...use her for a while before he kills her, if he kills her.” Kakashi laughed all the way back to their lodgings.

“That’s repulsive.” Shisui told his cousin under his breath later that evening.

“Obsession usually is.” Itachi said softly, looking out the window toward the small cottage where he could still feel the faint chakra signature of Suna's head medic.

Itachi had begun to feel a sort of misplaced attachment to the woman. He had believed what she had told him in her letter and was still a little bit surprised she had confided in him so willingly. He of course took into account she knew more about him than he knew about her, but they were shinobi…

He had confirmed much of what she had told him, but the things she had told him about his little brother...still bothered him. It had been his fault that Sasuke had gone through so much pain, had put his friends through so much suffering...and she had stood by him, tried desperately to protect him, along with Naruto Uzumaki. He owed her for her loyalty to his brother…both of them.

Perhaps it was his place to step in and protect her…

Little hands were moving through her hair. Little wet kisses were being laid over her face as she opened her eyes to spiky red locks tickling her nose. Gaara was humming to himself as he kissed her face and played with her hair. He smiled at her when he noticed her eyes were open and kissed her nose.

Sakura giggled and hugged the little boy to her. He laid down beside her, his arm over her chest, his nose buried in the blanket under her arm. “Ka San, you were asleep for a long time. I thought you were going to return to the stars.”

“The stars?” Sakura asked him, closing her eyes again.

“Like in that story Megumu told me, I know you aren’t from the sky now but maybe you are still from the stars.” He smiled as he pleated the covers of her bed.

Another giggle escaped her. “I’m not from the stars Gaara.” Sakura kissed the side of his cheek closest to her and sighed into the warmth of the bedding, it was so soft and comfortable she didn’t want to move.

“What time is it Gaara?” She rolled over to look out the window and frowned, was it overcast or was it really that late?

“It’s 2pm.” He said cheerfully.

Sakura threw back the covers of the bed and squeaked. “Oh my gosh how come no one woke me up, my students, what must they think of me!” She immediately began opening the drawers of her dresser, pulling on a shirt and pants.

“Sasori is teaching them for you today, don’t worry Ka San, I told him you were ill.” Gaara watched her tie her sash around her waist.

“Sasori is teaching them?” Sakura bit her lip, she wasn’t sure if that was a very good idea, he could be...difficult sometimes.

Gaara nodded...Shukaku rambling around in his head. “Don’t you remember last night Ka San? Father said you were ill, you fell asleep on his lap and he was trying to kiss you.”

Sakura’s head snapped up from her belt where she was fixing her pouches. “What?”

Gaara looked at the door to make sure they were alone before he continued.

“Kenta asked for the night off and Ryo was sent on a special mission. I asked my father why no one was in the house. Uncle was gone...and you were sick.” Gaara continued to talk as Sakura moved back to the bed to sit down beside him.

“Is that why he took the pills from your classroom? Did he know you were going to be sick?” Gaara asked her.

“Pills?” Sakura didn’t like what she was hearing.

“Shukaku wants to talk to you, but he doesn’t want you to yell at him again.” Gaara had that internal focused look in his eyes again, the look he had when speaking to the tanuki.

“Let him speak.” Sakura nodded for Gaara to give the raccoon temporary control.

**“My beautiful mate.” Shukaku growled affectionately at her.**

“Shukaku.” Sakura warned and Gaara’s shoulders slumped forward.

**“Fine, the boy’s father stole those ridiculous pills from your classroom early yesterday and drugged you hoping to take advantage of you while that other man was gone. He arranged for you to be alone with him, and helpless, he was going to rape you.” Shukaku growled, then faded to the background giving Gaara control once more.**

“My pills that I...no.” Sakura stood up. 

“He wouldn’t do that.” There had to be another reason...

Gaara watched her face, she looked confused and upset. “Ka San, we protected you. Shukaku told me to check on you, so I did and Megumu followed, she saw you too and my father gave you to us.”

“...because there were witnesses.” She muttered to herself, her cheeks pink.

“Gaara.” She turned to the little boy. “Remember what I said before, don’t tell anyone okay, don’t tell your Uncle...he’ll, you know what he’ll do.”

Gaara nodded seriously. “I remembered. I didn’t tell him when he asked, neither did Megumu. I told her not to tell.”

A wave of cold relief washed over her body. “You’re such a smart boy Gaara, thank you. We have enough to worry about right now. Sasori he would...I can only imagine what he would do.” She shook her head and rose from the bed.

“I’d better go check on my students and make sure he hasn’t punished or killed any of them.” She laughed, only half joking. With Sasori, it was always a possibility.

“I want to come too!” Gaara hopped down from the bed and latched onto her leg.

“Of course you can come.” She scooped him up into her arms and they left the cottage together.

Sakura choked back her laughter as she looked into her classroom to find Sasori standing at the front, hands behind his back glaring out into the room at her students like some disappointed Puppet Master whose puppets have disappointed him greatly.

“Welcome back.” Sakura walked into the room knowing full well he was aware of her presence.

“Your students are failures.” He began without greeting her or a wave of hello.

“Oh?” Sakura could barely keep the amusement from her voice and he finally turned to look at her.

The disappointment and agitation visibly drained from his face as he looked at her which made her smile even wider at him.

“I missed you.” He moved to take her hands in his.

Sakura could have sworn she heard one of her students choke slightly in the background at his words, but ignored it to kiss him on the corner of his mouth.

“I missed you too. I’m glad you’re back.” She smiled at him, noting the small line of strain that creased the edge of his mouth.

“Thank you for looking after my students Sasori.” Sakura moved farther into her classroom greeting her students one at a time, then moving back to the front where Sasori had stood waiting for her.

“What happened yesterday evening with Rasa?” He asked her without warning hoping to surprise her into revealing...something.

“I was tired, he was...too comfortable in your absence, but nothing happened.” She wasn’t foolish enough to think he didn’t know something, he was...him, after all.

“Did he touch you?” Sasori stepped up close to her and asked her, his lips pressed against her ear.

“I honestly don’t recall, I was a little tipsy I think but I don’t think so.” It wasn’t a lie.

“Gaara told me that he and Megumu escorted me home and got me into bed. I don’t think you have anything to worry about Sasori.” She laced her fingers with his and whispered in his ear, “You’re the only one I want to touch me.”

Sasori cleared his throat, she was so close and he had missed her last night. “I don’t trust my brother around you.” He said flatly.

“You trust me though don’t you.” She countered with a challenge in her eyes he couldn’t help but respect.

“You know I do dear.” He squeezed her hands. “However Rasa was never the type of man to take ‘No’, for an answer.” He warned her.

“I am not weak Sasori.” She reminded him.

“I care.” He said simply pulling her closer than she already was to him. She looked over her shoulder, all of her students had their heads down, focusing on their fish...not looking up...at all.

“I know. Dinner tonight, in your room?” She bit her bottom lip meeting his eyes.

Sasori nodded, not trusting himself to respond appropriately with her students in the room.

“Can I come too?” Gaara’s little voice had Sakura trying to jump back and away from Sasori,she had forgotten he was there. He was so quiet, but Sasori’s hand shot out of her fingers to wrap around her waist keeping her close.

“No.” Sasori gave his nephew an annoyed look.

“Sasori.” Sakura began but Sasori cut her off by kissing her, shooing the boy away with his free hand.

Sakura began to laugh into his kiss which made him smile.

“Tomorrow night brat, you may eat with us.” Sasori let go of Sakura’s waist to speak to his nephew who grinned at his words.

“Thank you.” Sakura winked at him.

“Yes, well, now that you're up and not dead to the world...I’ll leave the rest of the instruction to you.” He moved toward the door. “They are lacking in herbal knowledge, you need to remedy that.”

“See you for dinner!” She waved him out of the room sarcastically making him smirk.

Once Sasori had left the room she went to her vials and bottles lined up along the side of her desk on her makeshift shelves and counted them down. Two bottles were missing. A poison and...her memory chakra and mental inhibitor interrogation pills. “Rasa.” She hissed.

He was standing in his office looking out over his village when she burst through his office doors.

“Rasa what the hell did you think you were doing taking my pills and drugging me like that?” She slammed her palms down onto his desk, the wood splintered beneath the pressure of her chakra and the impact leaving little Sakura sized hand prints in the wood.

Rasa turned to face the pink haired hellion, one eyebrow raised. He had been expecting her.

“Anbu, dismissed!” He said loudly and two distinct chakra signatures faded from the roof of the Kazekage building.

“So nice to see you Sakura.” Rasa inclined his head to her. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“Don’t try that shit on me Rasa, I know you stole my bottle of interrogation pills!” She slammed another hand down on his desk making another hand print. He winced.

“Sakura.” He began to try to explain how much he thought of her, how much he desired her and how he would give her anything she ever wanted if she would only…

“You still don’t trust me!” She snapped at him, the heat in her eyes keeping her tears at bay.

“What?” Rasa asked fully expecting her next palm slam to be in the middle of his chest. He had assumed Gaara had told her everything, that she knew he had tried to, to coerce her into bed with him while Sasori had been gone, but this...was unexpected.

“You still don’t trust me do you? Why else would you take my interrogation pills and use them on me after sending Ryo out and knowing Sasori was gone from the village Rasa?” She demanded.

A million and one thoughts raced through Rasa’s head, but he landed on one…

“I’m sorry Sakura, please forgive me.” He bowed his head, looking up at her waiting for her reaction...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...oh Sakura...


	46. Chapter 46

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No Mei Allowed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't consider this rape so I am not making a tag warning for it, but it is up for personal perspective. 
> 
> Consider this your warning.

He looked sorry, but she was still livid.

“Why don’t you trust me now, I thought...I thought you understood and...I thought.” She slumped down into the chair in front of his desk. 

Her feelings were hurt he realized...she...cared about him still.

“You know that the Daimyo of Wind was poisoned. The woman who did it had pink hair. I had to make sure it wasn’t you.” Rasa fabricated the lie easily, silkily, as he moved behind her placing his hand lightly on her shoulders, rubbing them slowly.

“I had to have proof for the council Sakura.” He leaned down beside her brushing her hair back from her ear with his cheek. “You understand don’t you?” He tried to sooth her, whispering in her ear.

“I suppose, but Rasa, you should have told me, you let me think that, that you…” She turned her head to look at him, he was so close…when had he gotten so damn close?

“You still care about me don’t you?” His breath was warm against her face. 

“Yes but not, it’s different now Rasa.” She had tried to tell him before about her and Sasori, he had seemed to understand and she was sure Sasori had said something to him but she had never told him herself and it made her feel guilty now.

She felt bad and blamed herself for not handling this situation better.

“I still, care about you. I know that you and my brother have...are, something now but I hope that if…” One of his hands moved along her shoulder to caress the softness of her neck, then trailed through the length of her hair and back again. “I’m here if...you want me.”

The words hung between them, clear and dangerous.

‘This is not good’, Sakura thought...

“I love your brother Rasa, there is no possibility of.” She began.

His hands on her shoulders tightened...she loved his brother? Had it gotten that far so soon? He hardened his resolve and tried again.

“I wasn’t talking about love, Sakura. I know you don’t love me but Sasori is gone from the village a lot, the only reason he has been here so much recently was for you. Now that he has you, he will be sent out again, and you will be alone.” He spun the chair around so that she faced him.

“Sometimes he’s gone for weeks, that can turn into months...you’ll get lonely...” Rasa reached out to touch her face.

“Kazekage Sama. I have returned from my mission and have come to report.” Ryo bowed low to the Kazekage, his eyes flickering between the kage and Sakura...wary.

“Ryo.” The relief in her voice was clear.

Ryo bowed low to Sakura. “My Lady, am I...interrupting something?”

“Yes.” Rasa straightened his back, letting his hand fall to his side.

“Not at all, I was just leaving.” Sakura got to her feet quickly and made for the door walking past Ryo, flashing him a smile of thanks.

“Sakura, we aren’t done.” Rasa called out to her before she could leave the office.

“Yes, Kazekage, we are.” Sakura slipped out the door leaving Ryo and the Kazekage to their report.

Sasori moved around his hidden room under his greenhouse. He had only been gone for one day but he wanted this dinner to be special. He knew he would be leaving the village after the Chunin exams for his usual missions and wanted to make every moment with Sakura as memorable as possible.

Ryo had returned from his impromptu mission when Sasori had been in the market buying food for his and Sakura’s dinner that night. Sasori had told Ryo what had happened while they had been away, his interpretation and his orders for the future. Under the policies of Suna, Ryo was his to command due to his previous sponsorship. Rasa seemed to have forgotten that, but no matter. 

Sasori patted the stamped scroll in his chest pocket from the Suna elders. Ryo was not to leave Sakura’s side, ever again. The council had agreed, their head medic was too valuable. She earned them too much capital and respect from the other nations. Her skill not only kept their own shinobi on the mission lines but earned them a tidy sum in educational fees and lodging from Iwa.

She would be arriving in his greenhouse soon, he should bleed her, so she could use this room as a safe house while he is gone on his mission. She could even bring the brat with her...Sasori sighed, the things he did for that woman.

His brother’s actions worried him. While he knew Rasa still had feelings for his Sakura he hadn’t thought his brother capable of...forcing her, until now. There was no proof, but Sasori hadn’t lived this long in this world by trusting everyone around him...Rasa was up to something, he just wasn’t exactly sure what it was yet.

Kakashi leaned against the wall of the condenser on the Suna prison roof. Two Anbu circled by giving him an odd look but he nodded to them and they went on their way. He knew it was only a matter of time since Sakura’s little outburst. Red Sand was back in the village and with the woman, Rasa would seek his release...he was that weak.

Shisui crouched down on the roof of the greenhouse, his eyes red and glowing. Itachi told him they would make their move tonight. Kakashi swore the Kazekage would be occupied with the woman...it still made Shisui’s stomach turn. He had no respect for men who couldn’t control their basic desires.

Shimura Danzo had come late to the Chunin exams. Team Ro had been worried he had backed out and wasn’t going to come at all, but he had, a week ago. Itachi had sent out two summons around the clock, watching, waiting for the man to make his move to take Sakura, but he didn’t.

Kakashi knew, like Itachi, that the man never sullied his own hands, but that he always had a plan. Shisui wondered if perhaps the Kazekage was a co-conspirator but Itachi claimed that it wasn’t possible, the man’s obsession for the medic wouldn’t allow it.

Shisui hadn’t understood at first but now he did and again, it made him sick. Sakura was sweet and kind, shinobi like that...simply didn’t live long in their world. He understood why the Puppet Master was so enamoured with her, why the youngest of the Kazekage’s children followed her like a pet and why the Anbu Ryo adored her. She was special, and not only because she was from the future.

He had read the letter she had written to Itachi, like Kakashi had. They had both been disappointed in themselves that they had let Danzo fool and manipulate them like he had but Kakashi surprisingly came to their defense. He had told them in his calm, assholic sort of way that it’s hard to see past the surface, that sometimes you need to step away to see underneath the underneath, or be from the future…

Shisui smiled remembering their conversation, when they had made the decision to assassinate Danzo, blame Kumo and prevent the timeline from progressing like it had in Sakura’s time. If the world broke out into war...the world would need the Uchiha clan. That’s what she had said in her letter, the tear marks clear, that she had wept when she had written it.

What they had told her hadn’t been a lie. They had originally planned on letting Kumo assassinate Danzo but another opportunity presented itself. Kumo knew they were watching the man but didn’t know Team Ro had been watching them. Team Ro would assassinate Danzo and let the Kumo team watch, gaining them favor and perhaps open the field for future negotiations between the Leaf and Kumogakure.

Shisui looked up to see Itachi’s crow fly overhead, that was the signal. His body flickered, and he disappeared, wishing Kakashi well on his prison duty, as he reappeared behind Danzo, with Itachi appearing in front of the man.

Rasa walked through the underground tunnel to the prison, his fist clenched at his side. ‘That woman’, he grit his teeth. How many times would he let her reject him before he lost control. The two Anbu nodded to the Kazekage as he approached. “Kazekage Sama.”

“You’ve made the arrangements?” Rasa asked his two most trusted Anbu.

“Yes sir, the woman is in a cell of her own, cleaned and...ready for you.” The first Anbu bowed low.

Rasa nodded at the Anbu as the door opened before him and he began the gradual descent into the lower levels of the prison where they kept those they wished to interrogate or...question privately.

She was sitting on the bed when he opened the door to her cell. It was one of the nicer cells and he couldn’t help but wonder if she knew what was in store for her. He smirked at her wide eyed expression, she hadn’t been expecting him. Her eyes...were green and almost a perfect match, just like the Copy Nin had claimed. Rasa swallowed and closed the door behind him, locking it and making the hand signs for a silencing jutsu, he was going to take his time with her.

Sakura pushed open the door to Sasori’s greenhouse and walked to the back toward his lab. As she stepped over the last few feet before his lab she felt a pull behind her belly button and the door to his lab opened for her automatically. “Sasori?” She peeked into the lab that had never opened for her like this before, Sasori had always had to be with her for her to enter.

“I have sealed your chakra into the seal, you may come and go as you please in my lab and later we will seal your blood so you may enter the room below. Come dear.” Sasori pulled her by the hand to the seal anxious to show her the dinner he had prepared for her.

“This is amazing!” Sakura walked to the small dinner table in the corner of the room and sat down on the chair Sasori had pulled out for her.

“Did you make this?” She beamed up at him.

“For you.” Sasori bent to kiss her affectionately now that they were alone. No little teal eyed nephews or nervous med students to bother them.

“Thank you Sasori.” Sakura smiled and picked up her chopsticks.

“It was my pleasure dear. You didn’t eat dinner as you had planned last night with my brother due to your...illness, I wanted to make sure you had a decent dinner tonight. With me.” He watched her face fall and his eyes narrowed to near slits.

“Yes well, thank you Sasori.” she looked at the food then at him and the frown was gone, replaced by her natural good humor and beautiful smile, he relaxed.

“Are your students going to be ready to assist you for the third part of the exams?” Sasori asked her halfway through their meal.

Sakura took another bite of the peppered scallops he had prepared, chewed and swallowed before answering him. “Yes, the ones I inherited from Yashamaru are learning very quickly. I’m actually very surprised and pleased with their progress. Kita for example, has already revived two of her fish.”

“I’m not impressed.” Sasori said in his normal bored tone. “None of them were familiar with the basic poisons when I quizzed them in your absence.”

“I haven’t taught them any yet Sasori.” Sakura rolled her eyes, leave it to him to find something wrong. “It’s only been a month you know, not even, three weeks actually.”

“Yes, and next month it will be two months.” He smirked at her expression. “All I am saying dear is it wouldn’t hurt to push them.”

Sakura tapped her finger against the side of her glass thinking. “You know, that’s true. I was concentrating on their healing abilities but I think I might move them into the next step before this last week and the third exams.”

“They need to learn how to avoid getting hit.” Sakura smiled remembering how Tsunade had taught her to dodge. “This will be fun.”

Sasori’s heart lightened at seeing true pleasure in her eyes. “I would be pleased to assist you if need be dear.”

Sakura laughed out loud. “I want them alive Sasori.” She giggled at his expression.

“I’m teaching them to dodge, not how to get impaled on your chakra strings.” She teased.

“Let one of them get impaled, you can heal them. I am sure after that, the others will try much harder not to get impaled as well.” He pointed out.

“No.” Sakura laughed. “I’ll teach them to dodge, it won’t be easy or fun...for them, believe me.” She rubbed her arms quite unconsciously remembering some of the bruises Tsunade had given her. She had been sore for weeks!

“I would like to observe that lesson.” Sasori smiled into his cup.

“As long as you only observe.” She smiled at him. “Gaara can help me, his sand would be excellent for dodging practice.”

“Yes.” Sasori drawled. “Let’s set the one tailed jinchuuriki on the visiting Iwa nin, that is sure to promote peace among the villages.”

Sakura gave him a dark look. “It will, they will get to see first hand how gentle he really is and how he will grow up into a strong leader, stronger than his father.”

Sasori didn’t like the tone of her voice when she spoke of his nephew as an adult. He cleared his throat. “An excellent idea. Was there anything else you needed to do this evening my dear?”

“No, I closed everything up at the hospital before I left, Gaara is with Megumu, why, what did you have in mind?” She looked at him over the top of her cup.

“I’m sure I can think of something.” He rose from his seat and pulled her up by the arms into his. “Or a few somethings.”

Sakura leaned into him and laughed. “Tell me.”

“Do you know why you’re here?” Rasa moved to sit in one of the chairs by the fire that had been lit prior to his arrival.

The girl on the bed shook her head.

“You poisoned the Daimyo girl, did my guards not tell you when they arrested you?” He asked.

Her eyes went wide again. “Yes Kazekage Sama.” Her voice was cracked, small and hesitant.

Rasa looked the girl over thoughtfully. She was small, like Sakura, the eyes were compellingly close, but the hair it was, not quite right.

“Come here girl.” Rasa beckoned the girl to him, pointing at the floor by his feet. 

“Sit.” He commanded her like a dog.

He could see her whole body shaking. “Do not be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.” He pulled a kunai from his pouch and grabbed her hair, cutting it here, and there adjusting it’s length to his liking, to match Sakura’s hair length.

“Better.” Rasa turned her head back and forth by her chin.

“Now then, tonight your name is Sakura. Do you understand?” He asked the girl pleasantly.

She nodded.

“You are not a prostitute tonight. Tonight you are a lady and I would like you to call me Rasa. Just Rasa.” He told her, pulling her up by her arms.

“Now then Sakura. May I fix you something to drink?” Rasa asked the pink haired girl who nodded.

“I can see this will take some getting used to. Speak when I speak to you, you may, while we are in this cell speak to me as an equal, do you understand?” He watched his words register in her head, she wasn’t a complete fool he noted. He was pleased.

“Yes, Rasa.” her voice was more confident and she smiled.

“When you smile, bite your bottom lip.” He instructed her.

“Yes Rasa.” The girl smiled again, her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Better.” Rasa smiled, moving to the side board and pulled a storage scroll from his waist to prepare their drinks.

“Come sit with me Sakura.” Rasa handed the girl a drink and sat down on the rug before the fire, watching her.

The girl moved to sit beside the Kazekage, her feet tucked up underneath her, her hands in her lap holding her drink, waiting.

“Your voice, isn’t quite right but it will have to do.” He moved her hair back and off her neck, his fingers trailing down the side of her collar tracing the trim of the clothes he had the Anbu dress her in, Sakura’s clothes.

“Drink Sakura.” Rasa tipped his own glass back, then refilled it again. The girl drank obediently until the glass was empty.

“She was far too clever for me.” He told the girl who sat perfectly still beside him, his hands holding hers. “She chose my brother instead of me.”

He pulled the girl to him forcefully, she fell over into his arms.

“My son interrupted us. I had drugged her, it would have been perfect.” Rasa spread the front of the girl’s shirt open to reveal the chest wraps the Anbu had wrapped her in.

“She still wants me, I know it.” Two fingers pulled gently on the end of the wrapper and the bindings began to unfurl.

Rasa watched as the girl’s breasts were exposed from underneath the wrappings. He had been holding his breath, he breathed in slowly, tipping his glass back and setting it down beside them.

“Tell me what you want Sakura, how do you want me to please you.” Rasa looked into the girl’s eyes, his eyes slightly unfocused.

The girl realized the Kazekage was very drunk, that he...was playing out some sort of sick fantasy with her about this woman, the same woman that Konoha nin had told her about when he too had...touched her. ‘Who was this woman’, she thought wildly. What kind of woman could make so many dangerous men want her so badly?

“I want to make you happy.” Her voice was more confident now that she understood her role. The whore of the Kazekage was a much better proposition for her than her previous employer, she wanted to keep this job.

“You make me happy Sakura.” Rasa pushed the fabric of her shirt back and off her shoulders.

“Come Sakura, sit on my lap, let me kiss you.” He pulled the girl up by the waist like he had the night before with Sakura, his Sakura and settled her on his lap, his mouth over hers.

He kissed her softly, gently, like she had never been kissed before like he… loved her.

“I want to make you feel good, like before like that one night before you pushed me away.” He began to undo the ties of the girl’s pants, laying her down on the rug before the fire, pulling her pants from her waist, down and off.

The Anbu hadn’t bothered giving her any underwear he was pleased to see. She was smooth and young, he skin unblemished, a civilian. Sakura had a scar on her knee and several on her arms, he would need to remedy that for his new...toy. For now though, he refilled his drink and drank it down quickly before settling over the girl.

“Don’t move until I tell you to.” He commanded.

“Yes Rasa.” The girl bit her lip like he had told her too and he closed his eyes taking in a deep breath.

“Good girl Sakura.” his hands slid up the length of her body rubbing her nipples with his palms until they hardened to points.

“This is what I wanted.” he murmured into the side of her breast licking his way to her peak before wrapping his lips over it sucking hard.

“Ungh.” The girl moaned.

“Yes, do you like that Sakura?” He rubbed his fingers over her clit and slid them up into her warmth before she was wet enough to take them. Her body jerked.

“I told you not to move.” He bit down on her breast and she squeaked. He twisted his fingers in her making her gasp.

“I’m going to fuck you Sakura. I’m going to fuck you so hard and you’re never going to dare to deny me again.” He gripped the girl’s knees and spread her legs wide.

“I’m going to punish you now, for rejecting me, for choosing my brother over me.” He untied his pants and pulled his cock from it’s confines.

“You said, you said you weren’t going to hurt me.” The girl rose up on her elbows looking at the Kazekage with the same green eyes as Sakura’s.

Rasa lined himself up with her muff, his head pressing into her dry hole. “I lied, Sakura.” He thrust up hard into the girl making her scream.


	47. Chapter 47

“Shimura Danzo is dead?” Rasa ran his hand over his face looking from one Anbu to the other.

“How? Who? Does the Hokage know?” Rasa asked quickly, ignoring his brother’s snort beside him.

“His Anbu have been notified, Kazekage Sama and have launched their own investigation in the matter as he was one of their own council members.” 

“Good.” Rasa ran his hands through his hair. First the Wind Daimyo and now a high ranking Konoha council member all in one month, all in Suna.

“I wonder who is going to drop dead next.” Sasori smirked.

“This is serious Sasori.” Rasa turned to glare at his brother.

“I am well aware, it was a serious comment.” Sasori watched with amusement as his brother’s face turned red.

“Rasa, can I start doing the…” Sakura’s voice trailed off as she entered the Kazekage’s office realizing belatedly that he wasn’t alone. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll come back.”

Sakura turned to leave but Rasa stopped her. “No, please stay, we’re almost finished, please, have a seat, Sakura.” Rasa pulled the chair out beside his brother for her to sit down.

“Thank you Rasa.” Sakura smiled at Sasori as she sat down beside him.

“I would like to have Danzo’s death investigated as well, have our own team of Anbu look into it. Pick two, that are due for rotation.” Rasa told the two Anbu before him.

“Yes sir and, the prisoner, shall we make the...adjustments you asked for this morning to the cell for tonight or uh, tomorrow sir.” The second Anbu coughed politely without looking up from the ground.

“Tonight.” Rasa cast a quick glance at Sakura before dismissing the Anbu.

“Cell? What prisoner Rasa?” Sakura asked him curiously, she hadn’t heard of any prisoners.

“You found her?” Sasori asked, immediately suspicious why he hadn’t been called to interrogate the woman.

“Her?” Sakura asked, looking from Rasa to Sasori.

“The woman who poisoned the Wind Daimyo Sakura, and yes, we found her, she is imprisoned and is set to be executed in two days.” Rasa sat back down behind his desk and picked up the closest file, opening it and avoiding both Sakura and his brother’s eyes.

Sasori watched his brother. “The woman who looked enough like Sakura to please the perverted desires of that corpse?” Sasori inquired.

“Yes.” Rasa’s eyes rose just a tad to look at his brother over his open file, then darted pointedly at Sakura.

“I need to see her, to make sure she is physically sound, isn’t that policy here under the act of humanity?” She asked, looking at Sasori.

“We have no such laws here dear, not even for women or civilians.” Sasori looked back at his brother.

“Did you come here for something my dear?” Sasori changed the subject.

“What? Oh yes.” Sakura turned to Rasa. “I need to do the physicals before the next exam starts in a week. I wanted to start them now to make sure I have time to heal or advise any of the participants from their training they undoubtedly were doing these past few weeks.”

“Of course, whatever you think is best.” Rasa nodded to her with a smile.

“Great!” Sakura got up, kissed Sasori quickly and left the office.

“Why don’t you want Sakura to know that the woman is being held captive, the one that resembles her...and why wasn’t I called in to interrogate her?” Sasori asked his brother as soon as Sakura had left the office.

“She has come a long way and even though she shares your morbid interest in torture and interrogation, I didn’t think she would like the idea of the woman looking too much like her, nor you for that matter.” Rasa replied coolly. 

Tension had remained high between the brothers these last few weeks.

Sasori nodded. He would allow Rasa this. He was hiding something he knew but...he found that in this case, he might not want to know.

“Fine.” Sasori rose to his feet but paused at the door to Rasa’s office. “Have your fun, but know this, the real one...is mine.”

Sasori didn’t agree with Rasa and his weakness, but it wasn’t any of his business. As long as his brother kept his distance from his Sakura, he didn’t care. He had the original, no one could replace her, no one could come close. If his brother wanted to pretend...he would let him.

Rasa turned in his chair and looked out the round window of his office. He was sick and he knew it. What he didn’t like...was that his brother knew it too.

“I will be performing the physicals for the next part of the exam. I want you to train with my son. He will attack you, and you will dodge. You are not to attack him in any way shape or form is that understood?” Sakura stood before her team and the two Iwa nin on the main training field.

“Yes Sakura Sama.” All five of her students looked back at her.

“Don’t hurt them Gaara okay, just attack and let them try to dodge you. I suggest sand whip, sand bullets and...sand whirlwinds to trap them. Okay baby?” Sakura kissed Gaara on top of his redhead and moved off to the side of the field to watch before she left for the hospital.

“He’s just a kid.” One of the Iwa nin looked at Gaara skeptically.

“Don’t let that fool you.” Kita looked across the field at Gaara nervously.

“You’ve got to be kidding, you’re scared of him?” The second Iwa nin scoffed at the Suna girl.

“Let them find out on their own Kita.” Hyuhe told his teammate.

“Here it comes.” The third Suna nin said running forward to dodge Gaara’s first attack.

“Hisato!” Kita yelled. “To your right!” She leapt up into the air dodging the first round of sand bullets Gaara was sending their way.

“Oh shit!” The first Iwa nin screamed as he got pegged with one of Gaara’s sand bullets.

“Get up! Keep going! Dodge! He isn’t even going a quarter strength on you!” Sakura tried not to enjoy herself too much as her team and the two Iwa nin scrambled around the field dodging Gaara’s attacks.

“They say I’m sadistic.” Sasori drawled from beside her.

Sakura turned her head quickly. “I didn’t even sense you, how do you do that?” She demanded.

“Years of training dear, also I am a sensory nin, I do not mask my chakra, I extinguish it from detection.” He smirked at her eye roll. “I should teach you how to extinguish your chakra as well, it would come in handy.”

“I would like that.” Sakura had always wanted to learn how to mask her chakra but there had been no time...with the war.

“It’s a plan then. After the Chunin exams.” Sasori turned his eyes to watch her medics jump, roll, swear and run away from his nephew’s puny attacks.

“Yes, I see why you chose not to let me...help you with this. They would all be dead by now.” Sasori looked on as Kita fell on her face, scrambled back to her feet, then fell again.

“Sakura…” Sasori began.

“I know…” She laughed. “They’re pathetic.”

Sasori sighed. “Allow me to perform the physicals for the exams, you stay here and...train your students.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, walking away before she could protest his kind offer. The things he did for this woman…

Sakura blushed as she watched Sasori walk off of the field and back toward the hospital. He was so different than she had imagined him to be and even more...caring than she had thought when she first realized how attracted she was to him. He was perfect, everything she had ever wanted and he clearly adored her. She was grateful to the goddess, for sending her back, for Gaara, for Sasori. 

Sakura smiled as she cracked her knuckles and walked out onto the field dodging and weaving Gaara's sand attacks with ease.

“Gaara! Let’s show them how it’s done!” Sakura called out to the little boy at the other end of the field.

“Can I attack for real now?” Gaara’s small voice asked excitedly. He had started training with Kankuro and Temari last week, much to Baki’s annoyance and he had asked Sakura to spar with him but she hadn’t had the time...until now.

“Come at me baby! Full power.” Sakura smiled at her son who grinned back at her pleased.

“Okay Ka San!”

“This, is what you need to aspire to.” She told her students. 

Sakura leapt into the air, flipped turned, spun and rolled avoiding all of Gaara’s frenzied attacks with ease as her students looked on, dropped jawed and jealous.

“Holy shit she’s...amazing. Did you know Sakura Sama could move like that?” Kita was pulling on Hyuhe’s sleeve as they watched.

Hyuhe shook his head. He too was amazed.

“No wonder Kumo couldn’t abduct her.” Watanabe, one of the Iwa nin said to the other.

“Yeah no shit, I hear she tortured them herself too.” Kishi, the other Iwa nin replied watching the woman jump and slide across the field.

“Did she?” Kita asked Kishi.

“She’s your medic, you should know more than us.” Kishi replied with a snort.

Hyuhe frowned at the boy. The two Iwa nin had been respectful to Sakura Sama, but it had been hard learning with them, they were arrogant and argumentative at best.

“Well she hasn’t been in Suna that long.” Kita said in her defense. “She fell out of the sky you know?”

“Yeah, right into the Kazekage’s bed.” Wantanabe snorted and Kishi laughed.

“I heard the Kazekage and his brother share her.” Kishi watched Sakura drop down into crouch and run through the streams of sand without touching a single one. “I don’t blame them one bit, she’s fucking hot.”

Hyuhe frowned again and Kita was tugging on his sleeve again. Just as he was about to open his mouth and say something Hisato spoke.

“Do not speak of Sakura Sama with such disrespect just because you don’t think she can hear you.” Hisato said calmly.

“Why, are you going to do something about it?” Hishi taunted Hisato.

“No, but he will.” Hisato pointed to Ryo who had jumped down behind them over his shoulder.

Ryo had of course heard the conversation and felt his presence should be revealed to keep the talk from reaching Lady Sakura’s ears. She had enough to worry about right now.

“Anbu San. We meant no disrespect.” Hishi and Watanabe bowed low.

Ryo nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Hiding his grin of amusement behind his mask.

“They’re just lucky Sasori Sama didn’t hear them, they’d be dead right now.” Kita mumbled to Hyuhe quietly while Hisato continued to watch their sensei dodge her son's attacks on the field before them...she really was amazing, Kita was right.

You look pleased my dear.” Sasori held the door to Sakura’s cottage open for her and his nephew that evening after their fun at the training grounds.

“It’s been too long since I’ve trained. I need to add that to my weekly schedule. I was slower than I used to be, that can’t be allowed.” Still, she smiled as she dropped down onto one of the wooden chairs in the living room.

“I would be happy to spar with you when the kit isn’t available.” Sasori smiled at her.

“I’m going to take you up on that. I know you were holding back when we fought the first time in my time and I know you could have done a lot more damage the second time we fought here.” She peeked at him through the washcloth Megumu had handed to her after she had sat down.

“Yes well, I still needed answers from you at that point.” Sasori waved away her compliment and insinuation.

“Are we still having dinner together, Uncle Sasori?” Gaara handed Megumu the wash cloth she had given him to wash his sweaty face with.

“I suppose so, unless you would prefer to have dinner with your father.” Sasori drawled.

“He is having dinner in the prison.” Gaara told them.

Megumu stopped, her hand reaching out for Sakura’s washcloth, mid air.

“Why would he have dinner in the prison?” Sakura asked Gaara confused.

“I dunno.” Gaara hopped down from his chair and ran out of the cottage. 

“I’ll be right back.” He called out over his shoulder.

Sakura looked at Sasori who shrugged.

“Uh. Should I start dinner then? They had some beautiful leeks in the market today, I could make chicken miso with leeks and some bean buns if you like Sakura Sama?” Megumu asked, hoping to change the subject. All the servants knew why Rasa went to the prison, all the Anbu knew...his secrets were only secret from Sakura and Megumu wanted it to stay that way.

Sasori watched the maid...she knew. ‘Looks like your most trusted Anbu, aren’t so trustworthy’, Sasori hummed to himself.

Gaara returned right before dinner was ready, bathed and in clean clothes. Sakura had showered and changed as well.

“Your cottage is too small for us.” Sasori commented. His elbows bumping into Gaara’s

“Perhaps it’s time for you to move into a larger house.” He moved Gaara’s plate farther down the table and away from him.

“This is fine, I don’t need a larger house Sasori. We can eat in the main house next time if you like. Temari and Kankuro can join us.” Sakura smiled at the thought.

Sasori frowned, no that wouldn’t do. “Not that big of a house.” Sasori said, taking a bite of rice. 

“One big enough for...perhaps three or four.” He looked at his nephew who was sure to follow the woman everywhere no matter how old he got.

“What do you mean three or four?” Sakura picked up her glass of water and drank thirstily. She hadn’t worked out like that in a long time. She had really enjoyed herself sparing with Gaara.

“You, Gaara, me and maybe another someday.” Sasori handed her the fried egg and crab.

Sakura took the dish and began dishing spoonfuls onto her plate. Gaara looked from his Uncle to Sakura. Sasori watched her...waiting. She set the bowl down on the table and picked up her chopsticks.

“Wait, what?” She dropped her chopsticks and stared at Sasori.

“I think we should move in together.” Sasori picked her chopsticks and handed them to her, smirking. She looked so beautiful with her eyes wide and her lips parted in surprise. He resisted the urge to kiss her in favor of settling the conversation.

“I, what, but…” Sakura sputtered.

“You said you loved me.” Sasori said calmly sipping his tea.

“I do but Sasori it’s, I mean, isn’t it too soon?” She asked him. He was asking her to move in with him, did that mean he had also thought of them...

“No.” He set his tea cup down. “I love you. I’m sure.”

His gaze was steady, sure, confident...he meant it, he loved her, he wanted her , he was asking her to move in with him...he had said another did that mean...

Sakura stared at him, then looked down at Gaara. Sasori’s stomach rolled, that was the only thing he had ever truly worried about...the only thing that might hold her back from loving him completely. He waited.

Gaara was holding his head. Shukaku was screaming in his mind that this couldn’t happen, that this was his last chance to stop his Uncle, he was fighting him for control like he hadn’t since he had been two years old, since the attack he couldn’t remember.

Sakura watched Gaara struggle with the tanuki and placed her hand on his arm. “Gaara, if...if I live with your Uncle, will you be okay with that?”

Gaara shook his head. Shukaku wouldn’t let him concentrate on her words. “Ka San I...He won’t stop yelling, Shukaku he…”

Gaara’s eyes flashed yellow.

Sasori could tell the boy was fighting the demon within for control. “You could come live with us Gaara.” He told his nephew.

Gaara’s head snapped up, his eyes clear and back to their normal color. “With Ka San and...you?”

Sakura’s heart broke. He sounded so innocent and hopeful. “Yes Gaara, you can come live with Sasori and I, if you want to.”

“Ka San!” Gaara jumped from his seat and leapt into Sakura’s lap.

“I want to!” He snuggled into the front of his mother’s shirt, tears of happiness falling down his face ignoring the wild howls of pain in his head. He had never been this happy before. Shukaku wasn’t going to ruin this for him.

“Good.” Sasori was smug. “We’ll be married as soon as the Chunin exams are over.

“Married?” Gaara froze in Sakura’s arms. 

There was a sharp pain in his heart and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. Flashes of a man that had red hair and teal eyes like his own flashed through his head. A woman with pink hair laughed up at him, from underneath his naked body, smiling like the sun.


	48. Chapter 48

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No Mei Allowed

“Ah yes Sakura, that’s it, take it deeper, ugnh.” Rasa twisted his fingers into Sakura’s pink hair as her mouth moved against his crotch, taking his cock deeper and deeper down her throat.

“Such a good girl Sakura.” He moved against her mouth pushing that last two inches down the back of her throat making her gag. 

“Take it.” He commanded as he shot his load into her mouth, holding her head in place so the girl couldn't dislodge him, making her swallow all of him.

Rasa stood there until his cock stopped pulsating, slowly withdrawing his shrinking member from her mouth, allowing her to sit back on her legs and rest. 

“Did you like the adjustments I made to your room Sakura?” Rasa poured himself a drink and sat down naked on the bed behind him. He patted the bed and the girl crawled from the floor to sit beside him like he had trained her to do.

“Yes Rasa, thank you.” The girl smiled and bit her bottom lip for him.

Rasa smiled at the girl. He knew it wasn’t really Sakura, but it was close, as close as he was going to get for now at least. 

Sasori and Sakura had announced their engagement before the third part of the exam. They hadn’t even asked for his blessing. He wouldn’t have given it if they had asked, but they hadn’t asked and it bothered him.

A week had passed since the third exam, and it would be another week before the finals. Then one more before the wedding and there was nothing he could do to stop it. ‘What did it matter’ he asked himself, if she was married or not. Sasori would still have to leave the village on missions, she would still be alone...with him.

He looked at the naked girl beside him, she smiled and bit her lip for him. A fake. That’s all this one was but…

“Come, lay with me. I want to tell you all the things I can never tell you outside of this cell.” Rasa laid back on the bed pulling the girl with him.

She lay her head on his chest and let him play with her hair. He stroked her head and ran his hand down her naked back, to her hip then back up again, teasing the curve of her breast.

“From the moment you fell out of the sky I was mesmerized by you. You were broken and bloody but so beautiful. It was your eyes.” Rasa closed his eyes imagining the picture of Sakura he had held in his head, the first time he had seen her, laying in the sand.

“I thought you were dead, until you moaned and opened your eyes and looked up at me and called me my son’s name. You knew him and I couldn’t figure out why. Of course now I know why but then...you were such an intrigue, a mystery.” Rasa laughed. “I suppose you still are, a bit.”

He moved and pushed the girl to the side so that she was flat on her back. On his side, he played with her breasts, rubbing his palm over her nipples one at a time, playing with the tips with his fingers, making her squirm.

“I wanted you on sight, but then you spoke and I knew you were no ordinary woman, you were clever and witty and...perfect.” He dropped his head and took one of her nipples into his mouth, sucking gently, flicking his tongue back and forth then flattening it and laving at her breast as a whole.

“When you saved Yashamaru’s life...I knew, there was no one alive like you and that I had to have you. I knew I would never find a woman as talented, as beautiful or as amazing as you are Sakura.” He spoke against her breast, his hand moving down over her belly to the softness between her legs.

“I tried to tell you, to show you how much I cared about you. I built you your own office, a lab and even a small greenhouse but...it wasn’t enough. Things, they were only things, you wanted...more than I can give you. I’m the Kazekage, the village has to come first but you, I would have given you anything you asked for...anything Sakura.”

His heart beat in his chest, it wasn’t enough, he wanted more. He needed more...

“Open your legs for me Sakura, I want to feel you from the inside again.” He moved his fingers over her sex rubbing gently, lovingly across her clit and down against the seam of her body, slipping two fingers gently between the folds, he sighed into her chest.

“I know you’re not her. I’m not mad but I can’t...I just want to pretend, for a little while.” He pressed his fingers hard up into her making her moan out for him and bite her lips like he had taught her to do.

“You chose my brother, you’re going to marry him and I...I’ll never get my chance to...Tell you how much I love you.” He picked her leg up pressing it to the side, and moved between her thighs.

“I love you Sakura, since the moment you fell from the heavens to land at my feet.” He pushed into her arching his back to deepen his thrust.

“I picked you up, cleaned you off and gave you a home and you…” Lifting one leg up and over his shoulder he dropped his head in concentration. ”You chose my brother.”

“Ughn.” Rasa kept his eyes closed as he quickened his pace.

“I love you. I love you Sakura.” He said over and over as he thrust into the girl harder and harder.

“Why don’t you want me?” He came hard, gasping and collapsed on top of the girl rolling off of her and to the side so he didn’t crush her. 

“Why don’t you want me, you’re the only woman I have ever loved, and you don’t want me.” He looked up at the ceiling, then closed his eyes again before getting up, dressing and leaving the girl naked on the bed.

“She must be insane.” The girl rolled over onto the bed wondering again, who this incredible woman was and why she didn’t love the Kazekage back...and who this brother of his was...hadn’t she heard he was a monster?

Sakura stood with Gaara outside of a very large house on the outskirts of Suna propper, back behind the hanging gardens of the old palace. The house was three stories high in the dome fashion common to Suna. From what she could see it had a glass dome on top, an airy third floor, a fully enclosed second floor and a garden setting for the third floor with an open kitchen and a private walk in bath.

“This is your house?” Sakura looked from Sasori to the house in disbelief.

“Of course.” Sasori took her hand and led the way inside. “This is the main parlor. As you can see it is connected to the open kitchen. There are sliding walls but I opened them before I brought you to air the house out.”

Sasori led her and Gaara up a winding staircase to the next level. “Here are the bedrooms, except the master bedroom is the third level and more private.” 

“This is your room Gaara.” Sasori opened the door to a decent sized room shaped like a half moon, half of the rounded structure. There was a massive bed that hugged one corner of the room in the shape of a wedge and a desk that fit the curve of the house with a lamp. The rounded window had a boxed window seat for reading and a small shelf for a plant.

“I love it.” Gaara looked up at his Uncle with thanks.

“Good.” Sasori said curtly and moved to the next room, on the other side of the full wall divider.

“This will be the baby room.” Sasori looked at Sakura, watched her enter the room and look around. Visions of late night feeding, nursery rhymes and basic training filled his head. She looked like she belonged there in the middle of the room. He could almost see a little pink headed or red headed bundle in her arms.

“I love it.” Sakura smiled at him.

Sasori cleared his throat. “We will uh, decorate it later, buy whatever you wish.”

He led the way to the third floor, instructing Gaara to ‘wait here’, before opening and pulling down the stairs for Sakura to climb up into the master bedroom with him.

“Oh my gosh Sasori.” Sakura covered her mouth with her hands.

The room was round, like the house. There was a large platform wedge bed on the opposite side from the ladder where they stood, rounded book shelves lined one half of the wall and shelves with vials, herbs and other oddities lined the other half. What was most amazing though...was the glass ceiling and the waterfall that fell from the ceiling into the large basin at the end of the bed.

“The ceiling is the floor to the domed greenhouse up top. I added that after my parent’s death.” He told her.

“The water runs naturally from top to bottom. Rainwater is collected on the roof via the gutter that leads to a cistern and pumped continuously to water the plants in the dome down here through the basin that flows to the side.” He pointed to the floor and the piping that was inlaid, to the wall, where the pipes went down to the next floor.

“It ends in the open bath down stairs on the first floor. You have to run the taps to fill the bath of course, but it’s filtered, so the water collected from the top of the house isn’t the same as the water that fills the bath.” He smiled at her.

“Do you like it my dear?” His voice was almost shy.

“Sasori, it’s beautiful.” She kissed him, her arms around his neck. “Why didn’t you live here instead of in the main house with Rasa and his children?”

“It was easier for me to live in the main house. I didn’t need this much room for just me and they had a maid.” He pointed out. “Megumu will be coming with us.”

Sakura laughed. “It’s amazing. Thank you Sasori.”

Sasori scoffed. “You don’t have to thank me. We will be married. We must have our own house.”

“Ka San!” Gaara called up to them from the floor below.

“Brat.” Sasori glared at Gaara through the floor even though he couldn’t see him.

“Get used to it if you want a baby.” Sakura teased him.

“At least a baby can’t talk for a year or two.” Sasori muttered as they climbed back down the stairs.

“No, they just cry and scream.” Sakura smirked.

“Silencing jutsu.” Sasori deadpanned.

“Don’t you dare!’ Sakura scowled at him but her mouth twitched.

“Ka San, Megumu is here wanting to know where she should start cleaning.” Gaara tugged on her sleeve.

“The house is clean, tell her to start unpacking the storage scrolls, brat, you unseal them for her.” Sasori tossed four scrolls to his nephew who nodded, catching them with his sand.

“Now then, allow me to show you our private greenhouse my dear.” Sasori took Sakura’s hand and stepped back down the stairs to a seal in the corner near the bath.

“Give me your hand.” Sasori reached out to her palm up.

Sakura placed her hand in his, a flash of blue chakra, blood welled up from a small cut on the back of her hand. Sasori smiled at her surprise and flipped her hand over letting the blood drip onto the seal. His chakra flared and he cut his own hand doing the same and they fell through the ground, reappearing in the private greenhouse on the top of their house.

“Amazing, what was that?” Sakura asked, unfamiliar with the seal.

“It is of my own design, a transportation seal.” He waited for her to heal her hand and his, then led her around the greenhouse pointing out different plants to her.

Megumu was in the kitchen when Sakura and Sasori returned to the main part of the house.

“Sakura Sama, I have all of your food stuffs stored properly and am heading to the market. Is there anything you wish me to add to the list Sasori Sama gave me?” Megumu handed Sakura a list.

“I’m sure whatever he gave you is fine. Can you just make sure there are foods on there Gaara will like? I’m not sure if Sasori is familiar with his eating habits yet.” Sakura said, pushing the list back to her friend.

“He is. There are at least three meals planned with Gaara Sama in mind Sakura Sama.” Megumu smiled at her friend.

She had had her reservation about the man in the beginning but he had proven the better of the two brothers. He treated Sakura Sama with the respect and adoration she thought she deserved and was...respectable in a way that his brother, the Kazekage was not.

The new Daimyo had taken seat in the land of Wind, one that favored Sasori over his brother for his many war efforts. Sasori had spent three days with the new Daimyo at his palace right before the end of the Chunin exams and had gained further favor in the village and among the shinobi by signing a mission contract with him.

Suna would receive a full mission quota from the palace. In other words, no more of the Land of Wind’s missions would be outsourced. It was something that had been impossible under the last Daimyo, who had outsourced more than half of their missions. It was also something Rasa would not have been able to obtain.

The village saw this, the shinobi knew this...and Rasa’s popularity was dropping...fast.

Sakura felt bad for Rasa but at the same time, she had always thought Sasori was the better leader. The village seemed to think so too, the only person who didn’t think so was Rasa...and possibly Sasori.

To Sasori’s credit it wasn’t that he thought he would be a poor leader, but that he didn’t want to be. He preferred to be the advisor, the go to man, the...Puppet Master. He didn’t like being the center of attention, he didn’t smile at anyone but Sakura and he hated the elders more than he hated the council...which was quite a bit. Nor did he follow any rules that he thought were...unnecessary...which were most rules that he hadn’t made himself for his own benefit or Sakura's.

Sasori did not want to be the Kazekage.

Sakura watched Megumu and Gaara walk down the street to the market. It was a little farther of a walk but Megumu insisted she didn’t mind.

“Sakura Sama.” Ryo bowed low before her, startling her.

“Oh Ryo, my gosh I need to start those sensory lessons Sasori keeps trying to get me to take with him.” She laughed.

“I apologize for startling you Sakura Sama, this arrived just a moment ago, it was...addressed to me but clearly it is for you Sakura Sama.” Ryo held a small scroll out to her with both hands, his head bowed.

“Oh? Thank you Ryo.” Sakura turned the scroll over in her hands and walked back into her new home to read it after Ryo had bowed once more and left to wherever he went when she couldn’t see him. Sakura laughed, she had started calling him her kage, but Sasori had scoffed, making the man nervous.

Sakura infused the scroll with her chakra, a small black feather appeared, burned to ash, then floated away before the scroll unfurled. “Itachi?”

_Danzo’s death has been categorized as an assassination by an unknown. The foundation is no more thanks to your information and to your friend ‘Sai’. The information from your time served to be both accurate and lifesaving for not only my clan but for all of Konoha._

_Our friend the snake has been eliminated. Shisui took great pleasure in ridding the world of that miss fortune. As for the organization known as the Akatsuki, I have found little but will keep you updated on our progress. If you remember any more information, need assistance in any way please contact me via crow._

_I have left Karasu at your disposal. If you do not have a summons of your own, may I suggest Karasu, I believe you will find him quite compatible with your personality._

_U.I_

Sakura rolled the scroll back up and turned it over in her hand, a crow? She looked around for the crow but she couldn’t see anything. “Karasu?” She called out.

The scroll in her hands began to smoke, then flame and she dropped it. Out of the ash came a black bird, not a phoenix... a crow. Karasu.

“Sakura.” The crow bowed and spread out one of his wings to her.

Sakura bowed politely and smiled. “It is nice to meet you. Itachi was very kind to send you to me.”

“He is weak hearted.” The crow countered.

“Perhaps, or he is a good friend who has spent much of his life being misunderstood.” Sakura raised a pink brow to the crow.

“I see why he likes you. You, like him, are more than what you seem.” The crow cocked his head this way and that.

“Do you have a summons?” Karasu asked in his deep clipped voice.

“I did, I do not know if it transcends time.” She said, she had wondered that herself.

“It does not. Let us see if you are as compatible with the crow as Itachi leads me to believe. He and that cousin of his...are too, open.” Karasu cocked his head and looked at her again.

“I have never associated an Uchiha with openness.” Sakura laughed at the crow.

“I've never met a killing machine with pastel pink hair either.” the crow cackled.

“First time for everything.” Sakura smiled, she rather liked the crow. “...but I’m a healer too.”

“A healer...with too much blood on her hands. I can see the killer in you...Sa ku ra.” The crow hissed ominously.


	49. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Mei Allowed

Rasa read over the new missions contract from the new Wind Daimyo that his brother had procured for the village. It was good, he had to admit it, something he knew he never would have been able to accomplish. He gripped the paper in his fists wrinkling it’s folds and grit his teeth.

Sakura had moved in with his brother shortly after the Chunin exams, his youngest and strongest son with her. His brother was taking everything from him...everything important. He despised him...more than he ever had when they were children when their father continuously pitted them against one another.

The Chunin exams were over. Suna had three new Chunin to add to their active duty list which pleased both the new Wind Daimyo and Rasa. Iwa had one and Kumo as far as he knew, hadn’t promoted any of their participants. Konoha promoted two. 

Rasa should be happy, the village was prospering, he should be proud of his shinobi but...he wasn't. He didn't feel that he had played any part in the village’s success...his brother and Sakura...were the foundation for the...new regime. She brought in capital, his brother had brought in reform...what had he done, nothing.

The new regime...he had overheard two of his Anbu speaking of it. Things were changing in the Land of Wind, in Suna and Rasa felt like it was changing, without him.

Sakura and his brother hadn’t set a wedding date. Part of him hoped that they never would but he knew his brother enough to know the man wouldn’t be satisfied until it was official, until it was final. Rasa had given Sasori a mission last week which he had turned down, claiming things were not adjusted to his liking at home yet...whatever that meant. Rasa wanted his brother out of the village...as soon as possible, and his brother knew it.

Sakura was in her lab with her students when Kanna burst through the door, her hand holding her side from running too quickly too far.

“Sakura Sama, please come quickly, Teams 10 and Teams 3 have just returned to the village, they are in critical condition at the gate, we need you!” Kanna panted and leaned against the wall.

“Kita, Hyuhe and Hisato, come with me. Hishi and Watanabe grab the emergency medic packs and meet us at the gate as soon as possible!” Sakura raced out of the door, past Kanna to the front gates.

Hishi and Watanabe gathered as many medic packs as they could sling over their shoulders following soon after.

Sakura assessed the situation as she ran up to the gate, her eyes scanning the carnage before her feet had stopped running. There were two teams as Kanna had said, one looked worse than the other but both were as the nurse had said, in critical condition.

“This is the time to show me what you’ve learned so far, let’s move.” Sakura nodded to her team kneeling down beside what looked to be the worst of the injured shinobi.

He was burned severely, the skin of his forearms that he had obviously used to protect himself from a lightning jutsu almost fried to a char. Sakura could see and smell burnt bones along what should have been the fleshy part of his arms, it made her stomach roll but she pushed down the urge to vomit, she didn’t have time. The whole left side of his face was burned along with his shoulder, he needed immediate attention.

“It’s going to be okay. I am going to heal you, please, try to remain calm. I am going to give you something for the pain. I have to sterilize the wounds, it will hurt, prepare yourself.” Sakura warned the man under her glowing green hands.

“Angel, do your worst.” The man tried to smile at Sakura which made her want to cry. Her patients and many of the civilians had started calling her Angel, calling her their savior out of jest at first, then out of respect for her healing abilities.

“So brave, you will fight again. Now be quiet and let me work.” Sakura pulled a mild sedative from her pouch and tipped it into the man’s mouth.

His hand shot up and grabbed her wrist undeniably strong for someone whose arm was near crippled at the moment.

“Kumo, Sakura Sama, it was Kumo.” The man breathed before he passed out.

Sakura nodded. She understood, he wanted to tell her...because he thought he was going to die, he didn’t think she would be able to save him. Her eyes hardened. The Raikage ordered this...because of her…

Danzo had been thwarted, Iwa had become Suna’s ally and they had the support of the new Daimyo, but Kumo hadn’t given up after Danzo’s supposed betrayal. The Raikage still wanted her that much was clear. He had taken to attacking Suna Shinobi out in the field in hopes of drawing her out, in hopes of making her more vulnerable. All it did was make her more angry.

Sasori found her in the ICU looking down at the charts of the two teams that had been attacked by Kumo. He had just left Rasa’s council. They were calling for war. 

“How are they dear?” Sasori stepped up beside her looking down at the chart in her hands.

“Stable.” She leaned into his side, he put his arm around her shoulder and supported her weight, she was tired.

“You did well Sakura.” He said softly, turning his head to her, tilting it so he could kiss her cheek.

“What did the council say, have they decided what they are going to do about Kumo?” She demanded.

“They are calling for war. Justifiably so. We are allied with Iwa, and Konoha, Kumo stands no chance. It will be a show of force...only. They will cave, they must...or risk annihilation.” Sasori said with a little too much satisfaction. 

Sakura couldn’t blame him though. How many shinobi had they sent to abduct her? They had plotted against Suna with Danzo, had tried to form an alliance with Iwa to undermine Suna...no she couldn’t blame Sasori for his satisfaction.

“War.” She said breathlessly...again...always...she was sick of it.

“Come dear, your son has been waiting for you. Megumu has dinner made. You’ve done more than enough here today. Leave them to your students now and come home.” Sasori removed his arm from over her shoulder and took her hand gently in his.

Sakura knew he was right, they were stable, she would check on them in the morning.

A week later a missive from Kumo arrived under the official seal of the Raikage admitting with bad grace that he had not ordered the attack on the two Suna teams and that the Kumo nin responsible were being punished accordingly.

“The Raikage knows he doesn’t stand a chance against the combined forces of Iwa, Suna and Konoha.” Sasori said after reading the missive in Rasa’s office. “A lie no doubt, to save face.”

“There is likely unrest in Kumogakure after their secret alliance with Danzo was exposed and their numerous attempts at capturing Sakura failed, their council is most likely struggling for control.” Sasori hummed, twirling a small vial of his latest poison between his fingers as if bored with the news from Kumo...which he was, he had already predicted this outcome and had told Rasa only a few days ago that the missive was sure to come.

Rasa nodded at the wisdom in his brother’s words, loathe as he was to admit it. “How are Sakura’s plans for the new academy placements?” Rasa asked his brother.

“Fine of course, she has everything and everyone under control.” Sasori allowed the faintest smile to tug at the corner of his lips.

Suna had lost many of their new Genin in the last war and the population as a whole had suffered. Losing almost an entire generation made it difficult for the next generation to reproduce. There was a significant gap in the ages of the shinobi class at the moment, a gap Sakura had found a solution to.

“We need more active shinobi but the shinobi families took a significant hit in the last war and the young that weren’t able to go to war are not yet ready to graduate and take on missions.” Rasa had complained two evenings ago in his sitting room to Sasori and Sakura who had been invited to join him for dinner.

“The shinobi families, but not the civilian families.” Sakura pointed out.

“Your point?” Rasa had asked her, more or less politely.

“My point is that I am civilian born, and a shinobi.” Sakura had raised her eyebrow at him in challenge.

Rasa opened and closed his mouth...thinking. “Who would teach them though and would they even want to learn?”

“They could go to the academy, like I did, take advanced courses, find out if any among them has any talent...weed them out. I am sure there are many more than you might think that would jump at the chance to become a shinobi.”” She suggested. 

“Offer their families the incentive of belonging, the civilian class would welcome the opportunity more than you think, it would garner their class respect among the current shinobi. Things are changing Rasa, Suna needs to change to stay strong.” She smiled at him.

“You think this will make Suna stronger?” He asked her, watching her lips part to take a sip of her drink.

“I’m strong and so is Ryo.” She pointed out.

Sasori nodded beside her. “It will take time but it isn’t a bad idea Rasa. Something productive to do until the next generation can be born.” He placed his hand on Sakura’s leg, ignoring the watchful eyes of his brother.

“Draft me a proposal for the council Sakura.” Rasa sighed and set down his glass refilling it again.

Sakura beamed at him and nodded biting her bottom lip. Rasa licked his own lips and spilled his drink...Sasori narrowed his eyes at his brother.

“How are all the new additions to the prison coming, Rasa? I heard talk that a new wing has been built.” Sasori lifted his own glass to his lips and looked at his brother with a piercing glare over the rim.

“Fine, satisfactory.” Rasa didn’t meet Sasori’s eye, instead he drained his glass, glanced at Sakura and rose to his feet.

“In fact, I think I will eat later. If you'll excuse me I need to check on those...additions now.” Rasa left Sasori and Sakura in the sitting room alone.

“What was that about?” Sakura turned to Sasori, a worried look in her eyes.

“Nothing my dear.” Sasori patted her hand and smiled at her. “Kenta should have dinner ready by now, shall we?”

Sakura woke to an empty bed. She hadn’t even felt him leave. Rolling over she looked up through the glass ceiling of their private greenhouse, it was still the middle of the night. Sasori had placed a genjutsu over the dome so that light could filter into the garden but their bedroom remained hidden. It still took some getting used to though, she still felt...exposed to the eyes of any shinobi who cared to look as they passed by.

She wondered where he had gone in the middle of the night, it wasn’t unusual for him to be called to Rasa’s office at odd hours but he hardly ever left her at night. She wasn’t alone, she knew. Ryo was somewhere close by and Karasu had taken to watching over her as well...at Itachi’s request. At first she had been insulted but even she had to admit the crow was a very reliable look out, black, clever and hidden as he was.

When she woke, Gaara woke. That had become their schedule. So she wasn’t surprised when little sand grains started to gather and form into her red headed son at the side of the bed. He never entered their bedroom when Sasori was home, further proof her intended was gone.

“Do you know where your Uncle is Gaara?” Sakura yawned and stretched before swinging her feet over the side of the wedge bed.

“He is in the prison.” Gaara told her, climbing up onto the bed with her before she could stand up.

“The prison?” Sakura frowned. What was in the prison that had both Rasa and Sasori so distracted? She stood up and pulled her shirt from the desk chair, then her pants and dressed.

“Come Gaara, let’s go find out what your Uncle is doing.” Sakura tied her pouch onto her belt and put her hair up into a ponytail.

“Rasa, this has gone too far.” Sasori stood in the doorway to the small apartment Rasa had built for his...toy.

The ‘toy’ was naked and spread out on the bed, his brother between her legs ignoring him. Sasori was disgusted. The woman didn’t even look like his Sakura as far as he was concerned. This was just further proof to him that his brother was becoming unhinged.

“If you can not control your lust and take care of this situation, I will.” Sasori turned from the doorway leaving his brother with his ‘Friend’.

Sasori could feel Sakura moving toward the prison with the brat in tow and sighed. He didn’t want to have to explain another one of his brother’s failings to anyone, particularly this one, to her. He had kept it from her, to protect her from the awkwardness that was sure to have come from such a situation. Clearly, she needed to be told.

He had thought his brother would have sated his lust, disposed of the woman and been done with it by now. He hadn’t counted on his obsession being so...in depth. He had miscalculated.

Sasori let the door of the prison close behind him before stepping out of the shadows to greet her. She looked beautiful in the moonlight, her hair glowed a soft pinkish silver, her eyes a darker more intense green...how Rasa could ever pretend that a whore was her...was beyond him, no one compared to his Sakura, no one.

“Did I wake you dear?” Sasori brushed a loose lock of her hair behind her ear before turning her with a gentle hand on her shoulder away from the prison back toward their home.

“No, but I did wonder where you had gone. Gaara told me you were at the prison, with Rasa. Why are both of you at the prison so late? Does it have something to do with the woman that assassinated the Daimyo, I thought she was already supposed to have been executed.” Sakura asked him curiously.

“Yes dear.” Sasori cast a quick glance down at the boy beside Sakura. “Rasa has taken an interest in the woman due to her...likeness to you.”

There was no point in keeping Rasa’s secrets, no point in shielding her from the truth now that she had followed him to the prison. He didn’t want her to think that he...as well as his brother was...filthy. The matter would be taken care of soon, there was no reason to hide it from her any longer.

“My likeness?” Sakura squished up her nose, not understanding what he meant.

“Rasa still has feelings for you my dear, surely you must know that.” Sasori said with clipped annoyance.

“Oh.” Sakura looked down at the sand beneath their feet as they walked. “Oh!” She whirled in his arms and started to march back toward the prison.

“Sakura, it is being taken care of.” Sasori grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled her back toward him and the boy.

“Taken care of?” Sakura’s eyes flashed.

He could read her expression, he wasn’t sure what she was thinking.

“She is a prostitute, Sakura, you need not worry. He didn’t...force her.” Sasori held her gaze waiting for the information to sink in.

“Oh.” She said again, this time a bit more subdued, turned with him and walked home, Gaara beside her.

The next morning Sasori rose before the sun, kissed Sakura on the head and dressed as usual. Waving Megumu’s good morning and offer of coffee away, he walked out of the house, down the street and through the market to his greenhouse. With care, he chose a poison, with decision, he made his way to the prison before his brother could wake up in the arms of his...lover.

Sasori stood outside of the apartment cell, disgust written in the hard curve of his jaw, he never thought his brother would stoop so low as to choose fantasy over reality. It wasn’t regret, but it was close...Sasori dipped a chakra string in to his vial of poison and sent it out across the room toward the sleeping pair, dropping one small drop into the parted lips of his brother’s lover and one into the ear canal of his elder brother, the Kazekage.

“Goodbye...brother.” Sasori whispered and let the door to the underground passageway close behind him as two of his brother’s most trusted Anbu knelt low to the ground and bowed their heads.


	50. Chapter 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note time changes, lapses and skips.

Sasori was already at the breakfast bar when she and Gaara came into the kitchen on the first floor of their home. Sakura admired how the morning sun caught the rusty gold of his hair and the flecks of gold in his amber eyes making one shine and the other sparkle.

“Good morning Sasori.” Sakura leaned over and kissed him on the corner of his mouth before accepting a cup of coffee from Megumu.

“Good morning dear.” Sasori looked up from the scroll he had been reading and smiled at her.

Sakura had noticed very quickly how Sasori had changed since they had moved into his own home together. He was more relaxed, attentive and accepting of Gaara’s constant need for her attention. Her face must have betrayed her yet again because his sharp eyes softened at whatever look he found on her face.

“What are your plans for the day my dear, will you be training your students in your lab today or perhaps having them spar with young Gaara?” Sasori buttered a piece of toast and slid the plate over to her.

“I was thinking of a practical lesson today. They have been doing well with their poison instructions. I want to move on to antidotes.” She took a bite of the buttered toast. “Do we have any prisoners that I can poison for them to practice on?”

Sasori’s eyes shot up to meet hers…’did she know’, he held his breath waiting for her to continue but she didn’t. Piercing green met suspicious amber.

Two Anbu dropped down in front of the small family, their fists to the ground. 

“Sasori Sama.” One of the two Anbu from the previous night bowed low and spoke to Sasori.

“The Kazekage is dead, poisoned by the same woman who poisoned the former Wind Daimyo.”

Sakura gasped and turned to look at Sasori. Gaara blinked and Megumu dropped a cup that shattered on the stone flooring of the open kitchen.

“Rasa is...dead?” Sakura looked from Sasori to the Anbu.

“Yes...Sakura Sama, we found him in the cell...with the woman.” The second Anbu said clearly.

“The...prostitute?” Sakura covered her mouth with her hands.

“Yes Sakura Sama, the one that Rasa dressed to look like you.” The First Anbu bowed his head lower.

“Enough.” Sasori raised his hand and the Anbu stood before him. “Tell the council to gather. I will meet with them shortly in the hall. Dismissed.”

Sakura watched Sasori raise his hand and wave the Anbu away...dread filled her heart.

“Sasori did you…” She began but stopped when Gaara crawled up onto her lap.

“Is my father dead?” His wide teal eyes looked up at her, expecting the truth.

“Oh Gaara uh…” Sakura stuttered.

“Yes boy, he is dead. Poisoned.” Sasori rose from the table and set down his cup.

“I must go, Sakura, the council will want to discuss the future of the village. Gaara is not yet of age, there are things that must be...arranged.” He kissed her hand and walked off the stone flooring out into the street.

Sakura watched Megumu pick up the shattered pieces of the cup she had dropped. Gaara clung to Sakura, his arms wrapped up around her neck not sure how he felt. Sakura held the boy to her chest breathing in and out slowly trying to think clearly. ‘Did he do it, did Sasori kill his brother’, she asked herself. She didn’t know. She wasn’t sure. Did it really matter?

Yes, it mattered, to her. If Sasori could do something so horrible as to...kill his own brother then, was that someone she really wanted to marry?

“Ryo!” Sakura called out to her friend.

“Yes Sakura Sama?” Ryo bowed to Sakura, landing lightly behind her.

Sakura turned and smiled at her friend. “Would you please take Gaara and my students to training ground 3 and have them work on their dodging and avoidance while I check something at the prison please?” 

“I do not think that is wise Sakura Sama.” Ryo bow lower than usual.

Sakura looked at the man before her. He was kind and often offered suggestions, or gave her his opinion when she asked but never had he told her no, before in the polite manner he was telling her no, now.

“Ryo, would you like to step inside the kitchen and take off your mask please?” Sakura motioned the man into the kitchen but he stood still on the porch where he had landed.

“I, that is inappropriate Sakura Sama, please I do not wish to sound ungrateful for your hospitality but.” Ryo began.

“Take off your mask.” Sakura said sternly.

Ryo’s hand slowly lifted the porcelain mask from his face. He had light brown hair and eyes as blue as the summer sky, he was...quite handsome. Sakura smiled at him.

“Tell me again Ryo, why do you think it is unwise for my students to train today, or were you referring to my going to the prison?” She watched his eyes and his mouth.

“Please Sakura Sama. I do not wish to upset you.” His mouth tightened.

Sakura watched him literally fidget in front of her.

“Gaara, go upstairs and change into your clothes for the day. Megumu, go help him.” Sakura dismissed her son and her maid to speak to Ryo alone.

“Ryo, did Sasori kill his brother?” She asked him.

“I do not know Sakura Sama.” He said with relief.

Sakura tapped her foot on the stone flooring, thinking.

“Did Sasori leave the house after we returned from the prison last night, after myself, Gaara and Sasori all returned home together did Sasori leave anytime between then and when he left just a moment ago for any reason?” She asked him.

“Please Sakura Sama, don’t make me answer that.” Ryo pleaded with his eyes. “Sasori does not forgive those he thinks have betrayed him.”

“You may go, thank you Ryo.” Sakura nodded to the man. She understood, she was placing him in a compromising position.

Ryo bowed, set his mask back in place and disappeared before her.

“Karasu!” Sakura called out for Itachi’s crow.

“Sakura.” The black crow swooped down from a nearby ledge and landed on her shoulder.

“Did Sasori leave the house last night after we came home from the prison?” She asked the crow.

“Do you think he did?” The crow asked her, his eyes cold and unblinking.

“Yes.” She said quietly.

“Then why ask.” The crow flew away leaving her alone.

“Rasa is dead and Suna needs a new Kazekage.” The council spoke almost as one before Sasori had even taken his seat at the table.

“So I hear. How did he die?” Sasori asked, looking around the room.

“Poison, the same poison the woman used on the former Daimyo.” One of the elders spoke, passing down a file hand to hand to Sasori who flipped it open casually to gaze at its contents.

“Hum, yes, it does appear to be the case.” He laid the medical folder down on the table and tented his fingers together.

“What do you want of me?” He drawled.

“You were our first choice and yet you foolishly abdicate the position to your weaker brother.” The eldest council member spoke up. “It is time to take your place as the Kazekage, your village needs you Sasori, you have no choice.”

“Of course I have a choice.” Sasori rolled his eyes.

“You would leave Suna? Leave Sakura Sama to fend for herself and let Suna collapse in upon itself?” The room erupted in outrage at his remark.

“I see nothing in the way that the council does things has changed from my father’s time, always so quick to take offense and to jump to the wrong conclusion.” Sasori rolled his eyes and stood up.

“I never said I was leaving but if I did, Sakura would leave with me. I wouldn’t leave her here without me. Secondly, I did not say I wouldn’t take the position.” Sasori leaned forward peering at the file again, then drew back with a smirk.

“I will take my brother’s place as Kazekage but only until Gaara’s 14th birthday. He is the Kazekage, I am not.” Sasori walked out of the room without a backward glance, without answering anymore of their questions, down the stairs and out into the morning sun. 

“Sasori.” Sakura stepped off the main road and walked toward him.

Sasori opened his eyes, he had felt her moving slowly through the market, closer and closer to him and had waited.

“Did you kill your brother?” She asked him, eyes green and looking up at him with such anxiety it almost...almost made him want to tell her the truth.

“No dear, I did not. I would never do such a thing, he was...my brother.” Sasori closed his eyes to the sun and her look of such blinding trust, his heart hurt.

He heard her sigh, a breath of air rolled past his cheek as she embraced him. His arms rose and pulled her to his chest. ‘Just once’, he told himself. ‘Just this one time’, he promised her. ‘One lie’, he swore he would never tell her another.

“Thank kami. I’m sorry but I thought maybe, because of me, that you might consider …” She wasn’t crying but she wasn’t letting him go either.

“I wouldn’t put such guilt across your shoulders dear, but I admit, I had thought of it. Like I said though, he was my brother.” Sasori buried his face in her hair and silently begged her forgiveness.

Temari tugged on Sakura’s sleeve as the stone was lowered over the coffin as befitting the late Kazekage. “Will we come live with you now? With you and Uncle and Gaara?” She looked up at Sakura hopefully, sparring her Uncle a quick glance.

“No.” Sasori looked down at the girl with a small annoyed frown.

“Sasori.” Sakura hissed quietly at him.

“There is no room.” He waved the little girl away.

“Sasori.” Sakura began again but he held his hand up to stop her.

“I have made arrangements for them to live in the old palace, by our house. It will be ready in two weeks. In the meantime, Megumu will move into the main house and stay with them. I have assigned an Anbu to them.” He told her.

“The old palace?” Sakura hummed her approval at the idea. It was right next to their house so the children wouldn’t be far and two Anbu close by might not be a bad idea.

“Yes. Gaara can even move into the palace with them, if he likes. Of course I fully expect him to stay with you, at least until he is older.” Sasori admitted.

“I will stay with Ka San.” Gaara looked up at his mother and smiled.

“Of course you will.” Sakura bent down to pick the boy up.

Privately, Sasori thought the boy was much too old to be picked up anymore, he would be five in a few days and Sakura needed to stop babying him. He was a shinobi now and not just any shinobi, the next Kazekage. Sasori didn’t want the job one minute longer than he had to.

Sasori watched the final stone as it was lowered over his brother’s grave. ‘Goodbye Rasa’, he bowed his head for the second time in his life to his brother, low and with full respect.

Sakura, Sasori and the children were the last to leave the burial grounds, as was Suna custom. Sasori’s inauguration would be next month, after Gaara’s fifth birthday. He didn’t want a festival, he didn’t need one. Instead, he ordered the money that would normally be spent on the ceremony to be used to remodel the old palace for the children...claiming Gaara will wish to fill it with children of his own as soon as he is able.

No one questioned him, no one disagreed with him. 

There was talk of course like there would be. Humans being natural gossips, wanting the purest reputation sullied and the darkest villain darkened further by even more evil deeds, it was expected. What wasn’t expected was that all the gossip and all the talk...came from foreigners, not Suna.

Suna loved their new Kazekage, the shinobi particularly. Sasori didn’t waste lives, money or time on political intrigue. He was blunt, straight forward with reform and had the ear of the people. He was ruthless, he was dangerous and his reputation of the third war hadn’t been forgotten but somehow in the ever present laugher and glow of Sakura, it didn’t seem to bother anyone anymore.

Sakura’s popularity among the shinobi and the civilians grew even more than it had after the opening of the first ever civilian trials for the academy. She had set up a grueling one month trial period for civilian borns to prove their worth and earn their seats at the academy. It was an immediate success.

To everyone's surprise, even those of the supervising shinobi instructors chosen to help Sakura oversee this monumental addition to Suna, they admitted over half of the civilian applicants. She couldn’t have been more pleased.

“Thirty Sasori!” Sakura ran into the Kazekage’s office without knocking and threw the folder down on his desk smiling at him, eyes shining. “Thirty new students!” She beamed at him.

“I knew you could do it Sakura.” Sasori smiled, he was proud of her, in the privacy of his office, with no one to see, he was very proud of her.

“It wasn’t just me Sasori.” She was still smiling even as she tried to pass the credit to others. 

“It was your idea, your initiative.” He moved from around his desk to kiss her gently, moving her hair off her neck and back over her shoulder.

“Thank you.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him happily.

“Will you be home in time for dinner? I’m making Gaara’s favorite for his birthday.” She kissed him again without waiting for him to answer.

“Yes, of course. I have a few more things to do and then I will be home.” Sasori didn’t particularly like liver but it was the boy’s birthday…

“Good. I will see you at home then I have a few things to get from the market, don’t be late.” She waved as she nearly skipped out the door.

Sasori watched her from the window in his office before turning back to the piles of paperwork. He watched her walk down the front steps of his office building, stop and talk to several women she had become friendly with, then walk toward the market. Only when she was around the corner lost in the sea of market stalls and no longer visible did he turn away from the window back to his work.

“Ka San!” Gaara saw his mother down the street and raced off after her startling the pigeons off a nearby roof and making the construction worker’s at the old palace laugh.

“You’re home!” He jumped up into her arms not caring that she already had her arms full of bags and folders.

“Gaara!” Sakura laughed and held the boy close to her face kissing his cheeks and his nose.

“Save some of that for the Kazekage Sakura Sama!” One of the construction workers called out to them laughing.

“Yeah! That man deserves a little lovin too, Sakura Sama!” Another called out making her blush.

“Plenty for him, don’t worry!” Sakura called back laughing with Gaara in her arms as she set the bags down on the outside tables for Megumu.

Ryo smiled under his mask, turning away to scan the plateaus and the nearby roads. The villagers were starting to see that the young lord wasn’t a monster, that Sasori Sama was a good man, if not a ruthless one and that it was all thanks to Sakura Sama. She had even passed a law allowing civilian born to apply for the academy. Ryo was grateful.

Sakura hadn’t dreamt for months, she had started to believe that she would never dream of the goddess again. All was right in her world and she eventually got caught up in the day to day schedule of the hospital, her students, Gaara and Sasori, all thoughts of the goddess lost in the wake of her happiness.

Almost a year had gone by before Sakura thought of her again. She was in Konoha, in the field of flowers where she and Ino used to play as girls. She had been invited by the Hokage to teach the Konoha medics about poisons and antidotes. 

Sakura had made more than a name for herself in the last year. She was a legend and a myth. A woman shrouded in as much mystery as she was in love. The Kazekage’s devotion to his wife was well known, as was her monstrous strength and her Yin seal.

Sasori had spent the better part of his last year teaching Sakura about poisons and their different uses. It was a hobby they found interested them both. She had an avid mind for chemicals that he adored and shared his acute sense of logic and methodical thinking that was both compatible with poison making and development.

A year later, she was almost as famous for her knowledge in poison creation as he was, but unlike him, she was also well known for her ability to cure almost any poison. If she couldn’t cure it she could extract it, and that is why the Hokage had asked her to visit Konoha, to teach their medics the water absorption technique for extracting poison.

Two days into her stay she had found time to relax in her favorite field of flowers. It was the same and yet, it was different. She lay back in the soft grass surrounded by the soft petals and light fragrances of the flowers enjoying herself before she let out a more than slightly irritated sigh. 

Poisons hadn’t been the only thing Sasori had taught her in the last year. He had also taught her how to extinguish her chakra...however, she hadn’t been able to extinguish it completely. Nor had she become as good of a senor nin as him, but she wasn’t half bad by her previous standards.

“Sakura.” The annoyingly familiar voice of the Copy Nin floated down to her before he leaned over peering down into her face effectively blocking her view of the beautiful sky.

“Kakashi, you’re blocking the sky.” She waved her hand around in front of her face shooing him.

“Where is your pet Anbu?” Kakashi laughed, dropping down beside her, sitting a little too close.

“I gave him the day off.” She rolled over trying to ignore him.

“Are you sure that’s wise?” He moved over, closing the distance between them. “You’re a visiting nin, in a foreign village, you’re an outsider now.”

“Who said I was alone?” Sakura made several quick hand signs, crows exploded from the air around her and she disappeared.

Kakashi shot up from the ground and whirled to face her. “Itachi gave you his summons.” He said flatly.

“Itachi introduced me to Karasu to see if we were as compatible as he assumed...as you can see, we are.” Sakura laughed. Even in her own time, she had never been good enough to surprise Kakashi.

“Have you figured out a way to get home Sakura?” Kakashi was straight forward for once.

“No, Kakashi, it doesn’t matter. I’m not going back.” She laid back down. “There’s no reason we can’t be friends here, now I mean. We were friends before in my time, just remember I am married now and the Kazekage doesn’t share.” She winked at him and he barked out a loud laugh dispersing her crows.

“I want to find a way to go back.” He said quietly. 

They had talked twice since the Chunin exams, it was always the same question. ‘Do you know how to go back?’, and she always gave him the same answer. ‘If I could I wouldn’t, but no I don’t know how’.

She knew why he wanted to go back in time. He had told her what she already knew about Rin and Obito. Part of her wished she could help him and part of her was grateful that she didn’t know how to help him. Kakashi, her Kakashi going back had already affected the timeline before she had arrived, anymore change, might throw the whole world out of balance.

“Did Kakashi, my Kakashi tell you how he came?” Sakura asked him.

“No.” Kakashi said, his hands on either side of his shoulders behind him, bracing his weight as he leaned back looking at the clouds in the sky with her. 

They had talked about this before as well. She was sure he didn’t know any more than her how this whole time travel thing worked. Still, they sat together, talked together, hoping maybe that time, one would reveal something the other could use.

Sakura rose to her feet and brushed the loose grass from her medic skirt. “If you hear anything or find anything tell me, I will do the same.”

“Sakura.” Kakashi reached up and pulled her back down beside him. “I’m sorry.”

“What?” She asked, surprised by his sudden apology.

“I’m sorry.” He looked down at their joined hands where he still held hers from pulling her down to sit beside him. “I think...killing my other self...hurt me somehow.” He hesitated.

Sakura pushed her healing chakra into her palms and placed them on his chest. He laughed.

“No, not like that. Well maybe, what I mean is...do you think by killing one’s self from another time can make the other you...broken?” He met her green eyes with his one dark grey one.

“Broken?” She asked.

“I feel like...my soul is broken but perhaps...perhaps that’s just the natural order of things.” He took a deep breath, laughed again then rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’m being put in charge of a Genin Team. Maybe...like him, it will help.” He rose to his feet pulling her up with him. “Do you...I mean...do you believe in second chances Sakura?”

“Yes Kakashi, I do. I’m living it.” She rose up on her tippy toes and kissed him on the nose.

The Copy Nin’s cold veneer rippled, then shattered and for a moment, for the briefest of seconds he looked at her, like her Kakashi used to and her eyes misted over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time skip coming up, not sure how I want to do it yet but it will come to me I'm sure...in the middle of the night.
> 
> It's what I do.
> 
> Be prepared for things to pick up after time skip and be sure to read the summary. It isn't something I write in often, so I am sure many of you might skip it.


	51. Chapter 51

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara left Suna by order of his Uncle the standing Kazekage to finish his training at one of Suna’s remodeled outposts. Both Gaara and Sakura were...less than pleased about this arrangement but Sasori reminded both of them, it was what he was born to do and it must be done, for Suna. Gaara must prove he can maintain control of his tailed beast in the absence of his mother. 10 years have passed and Gaara is returning home to take his place as Kazekage. 
> 
> He isn’t the little boy that left his mother 10 years ago with tears in his eyes, he is now a man...very much like the man Sakura remembers from her time, the Kazekage she had fallen in love with before she was brutally ripped away...by the rabbit goddess. Gaara might be older but Sakura looks the same as she did when she arrived...you remember don’t you? The goddess gave her eternal youth and a second chance in return for Sakura saving her life and healing her in the final battle that is yet to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This next part is going to take me a few days to write. In the mean time here is a teaser...
> 
> Let us assume Suna, Konoha and Iwa and the other shinobi nations enjoyed a time of peace, much like they did in canon around this time and take a brief time skip into the future say...oh how about 10 years.
> 
> Gaara is now 16 years old.  
> Sakura is 31, still looks 19 though, lucky bish  
> Sasori 32  
> Rasa is still dead thank goodness  
> And the Twins Temari and Kankuro are 18

**10 years ago…**

_“He must Sakura. It’s tradition. The next in line for the Kazekage position must spend ten years in the desert. I have made an adjustment to this much to the councils disapproval, for your sake. He will not be alone. He will not wander. I am sending him to the outpost, he will spend his next ten years in control of the outpost to develop his leadership and survival skills. It is...the best I can do for him, you must understand, this is unprecedented Sakura.” Sasori explained to her as gently as he could._

_She wasn’t a Suna shinobi born and raised, she didn’t come from a village where the kage was chosen from succession and not voted in by the council, she didn’t understand but she must, she had to, for her sake and for Gaara’s._

_“He will return. I did.” He placed a hand over hers squeezing hard. “He is strong, you’ve said it yourself countless times, he is strong, he will return.”_

_Sakura nodded and looked down at her son. “He’s so small though.”_

_She clutched Gaara to her chest as the tears streamed down her face. “Come back to me Gaara. I love you, I love you so much.”_

_“I love you too Ka San. I promise and Shukaku promises too, we’ll see you again. I’ll come back. I’ll come back and when I do, I will be the man you told me I would be, strong and kind. I’ll come back for you.” Gaara looked up at his mother fiercely, his eyes determined._

_“I’ll be waiting for you when you return. I love you Gaara, more than anything in the world, I love you. Don’t forget about me. I’ll be waiting for you.” Sakura promised, setting the boy down, kissing him on the mouth one last time._

_Gaara turned, his gourd on his back, his pack slung over his shoulder. It was a five day journey to the western most outpost, almost on the border of Wind before it touched the sea. ‘We will return to her boy and when we do, you will be the man she fell in love with, you will be worthy of her’, Shukaku told him confidently. ‘We will show her, what a fine man you will grow up to be, better than the one in her time, better than the one who stands beside her now. She is ours, our mate, we will come back for her’, Shukaku howled inside his head._

_Gaara looked out over the desert and swallowed. He didn’t want to leave but...he did want to be the man she fell in love with, he did want her to be proud of him, he did...want to be better than the man that stood beside her. He turned back around one last time before running out into the desert to look at Sakura._

_“I will become strong Sakura.” He bowed low to her and turned to his Uncle. “Stronger than you.”_

_Sakura reached her hand out to touch his face but Gaara smiled, a smile of untarnished love and devotion, turned and ran out the gates of Suna, out into the void, stopping only until he had reached the last visible dune, to wave and then disappear over the rise._

_Sakura broke then, and fell to her knees, his voice ringing in her head. ‘I will be the man you told me I would be’_

**Present Day...**

"I'm home Sakura." Gaara stood on top of the last dune before the gates of Suna, his silhouette tall and straight against the rising sun at his back.


	52. Chapter 52

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, it didn't take me a few days...

Present Day...  
"I'm home Sakura." Gaara stood on top of the last dune before the gates of Suna, his silhouette tall and straight against the rising sun at his back.

She was in the garden when she felt the sand move under her, she was in the garden when she felt his chakra, his presence. “Gaara?” She whispered and turned on her knees where she had been digging in the dirt.

“Sakura.” His voice was deep...just like...

“Gaara.” For a moment she couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe and she wondered…’Is it really him’ and then her legs were moving her and her arms were reaching out for him.

She was beautiful and she looked just the same as he remembered her to look, just like the visions Shukaku had played for him in his head... she was soft and light and smelled of the flowers and the plants she had been tending to as his arms wrapped around her.

“I’m home. I missed you.” He breathed into her hair, holding her tightly.

Breathe in…

She couldn’t stop the tears from coming, she didn’t even try. They spilled from the corners of her eyes and splashed down the back of his shoulder, she wasn’t even ashamed. 

“The last ten years Gaara, without you...broke my heart. You’re that Gaara right, you look so much like, but of course you would...” She sobbed into him, her hands couldn’t hold him enough...he looked just like the man she had fallen in love with and yet...she saw the boy when she looked at him now too.

Breathe out…

“I had you with me, Shukaku and I, we had you with us, our memories of...all of our times together. I told you, I would come back for you, I told you...I would become the man you told me I would be.” Gaara stepped back then, his hands sliding up her back to her shoulders, looking down at her.

“Yes, a man now.” It hurt her. It hurt her to look at him. He was Gaara and yet he was...Gaara.

His hands moved across the tops of her shoulders up her neck, gently, slowly to cup her face. 

“Not a day went by that I didn’t think of you...Ka San.” It seemed wrong somehow now to call her that…

”Shukaku he reminded me, every time I fell, why we were doing this, who we were doing this for and it made it...bearable. I’m not a little boy anymore Sakura.”

Her green eyes sparkled in the morning light, her lips parted and his eyes drank her in, she was so beautiful, more beautiful than the pictures Shukaku had played for him in his head. Slowly he bent his head, slowly he pressed his mouth to hers and she jerked.

“Forgive me.” His hands dropped from her face, he took one step back and bowed low to her. “I missed you and have been wanting to...kiss you for a very long time now……...Ka San.”

“I’m sorry.” She touched two fingers to her lips. His kiss was...too familiar and too...she shook her head and swallowed. He was home now, that’s all that mattered.

Gaara watched the emotions fly across her face, watched her fingers where she had them pressed against her lips, her mouth where he had...kissed her.   
She was...blushing and it made him want to kiss her again.

“Where is my Uncle?” Gaara stepped closer to her again, his hand reaching out to her face.

“Here.” Sasori’s voice was strong and clear...and behind him.

Gaara had known he was there of course, but Sakura jumped, ‘she didn’t know he was there’, Gaara’s eyes flickered from the woman to the other male…’tension’, that’s what it was, there was ‘tension’ between them.

“Welcome home Kazekage.” Sasori inclined his head an inch before he took his place beside his wife.

Sakura cast Sasori the barest of glances, before her eyes settled back onto Gaara. “I...made your room ready for you. We didn’t know exactly when you would return so...I just, I wanted you to be comfortable when you came back to me, when you came home. You were gone so long I…”

Sasori stiffened beside her, it was slight, it was...almost unnoticeable but Gaara noticed and his Uncle noticed that he had...noticed. Sakura only had eyes for Gaara.

“My room.” Gaara spoke slowly, his eyes traveling up the side of the house to where his ‘old’ room was.

“You are welcome to move into the palace, befitting the Kazekage, your rooms there are also...ready for you but your mother, insisted we ready your room at our house, insisting you would wish to be as close to her as possible.” Sasori was watching him, waiting and watching him for a reaction, an emotion, any sign that would tell him...did he remember.

“She was not mistaken.” Gaara took one step then two toward the house behind Sakura.

‘He’s grown’, Sasori thought, of course he would change, he knew...but what kind of a man has he grown into, one like his father or...the man Sakura remembers from her time.

Sasori stood by his wife and watched the boy, the man, walk into the house. He was in his old room when they followed him inside, sitting on his bed holding a picture of him and Sakura, expressionless eyes looking down at the tiny frame, large hands held it gently, reverently.

Sakura spoke from the open stair to his room. “I left it the same as it was when you left. I wanted you to know that you were remembered, that you were missed, that I never forgot about you.” She walked farther into the room and sat down beside him on his bed while Sasori watched from the stairs.

“I’m so glad you’re home Gaara.” Tears began to slip from her eyes once more. Strong hands and arms pulled her to his chest and he hugged her.

Sasori narrowed his eyes as he watched the...Kazekage hold his wife. “The council will wish to speak to you, we should go.”

“He just got home.” Sakura turned in Gaara’s arms to glare at her husband.

“He is the Kazekage Sakura. He has responsibilities. They will wish to meet the man he has become.” Sasori took a step into the room.

“They can wait. I want to see him, I’ve missed him so much.” Her hands held Gaara’s lifting them to her chest as she looked back at her husband in defiance.

...it was then, that Gaara saw, briefly, what her last ten years had been like.

“He is right Sakura.” Gaara reluctantly withdrew his hands from hers and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “I must speak with the council.”

He could feel her eyes watching his every move just as he could feel his Uncle’s eyes watching her watch him.

He rose from his bed and moved across the room to his Uncle. “I assume they will wish to speak to us together. Shall we?” Gaara waved a graceful hand toward the stairs.

Sasori nodded and walked down the stairs ahead of his nephew without a backward glance at his wife. 

Gaara paused before following his Uncle down the stairs and turned back to Sakura who was still sitting on his bed. “Do not worry Sakura. I’m never going to leave you again. I’m home now, for whatever future it may bring for us.”

Her eyes went wide. “Future? Do you...has Shukaku told you that…” She couldn’t complete her thoughts, her sentence, she choked slightly in her agitation.

In an instant he was on the bed beside her again. “I’m not losing you again.” He promised her...his lips turning up at the corners, his eyes looking down at her like…

“Nephew. We must go.” Sasori’s voice came to them from the stair, his redhead barely visible over the rise of the half wall that separated Gaara’s room from the nursery.

“Of course Uncle.” Gaara rose again from his bed and walked to the stairs, his eyes passing over the empty nursery.

‘Ours, she’s ours again’, Shukaku cooed over and over again in his head as he walked to the municipal building with his Uncle. ‘She’s ours, she remembers, she knows and we’re going to take her back’, Shukaku sang to him as they mounted the stairs and walked inside.

Gaara watched his Uncle out of the corner of his eye and wondered at what he had witnessed in his room. Had his leaving cast a shadow over their seemingly perfect union? Gaara pushed open the doors to the council room barely able to contain a small smile at the thought. He would not wish Sakura unhappy, however, he would not wish her happy with anyone...but him.

The council had already gathered and Gaara realized that is what had kept his Uncle from meeting him earlier with Sakura, he had felt him return and had gathered the council.

“Welcome home Kazekage Sama.” The council bowed low before Gaara, then sat as one.

“You’re late.” The councilman to his left said with good humor. “We thought your Uncle was going to run out to the outpost to bring you back himself.”

“I apologize. I had some interference on my way back that detained me.” Gaara spoke with a reserved surety that impressed them all, even Sasori noted the confidence in his tone.

“Interference?” Another councilman asked.

“The Akatsuki. They want Shukaku.” Gaara inclined his head.

“So, they’ve made their move.” Sasori looked at Gaara with knowing eyes. 

Sakura had told him her worries, had told him the future plan of the Akatsuki and had demanded he bring Gaara home when word had come from Konoha that the Akatsuki had started collecting tailed beasts. He had refused. She hadn’t forgiven him...yet. Perhaps now that Gaara was home, he thought perhaps…

Gaara returned his Uncle’s look with a slight nod. “As you can see, they were...unsuccessful.”

“Quite.” Sasori continued to watch his nephew.

The rest of the meeting was spent discussing the newly implemented reforms in the last month, their budget and their current alliances. Gaara hadn’t been completely cut off from Suna in the ten years he had been away. Curriers had traveled the spanse of the desert to carry official sealed documents to him, he knew of the new laws and policies, the changes that had been made in his absence and the politics.

This meeting was an update to the last reports, a chance for the council to meet the man they had been in correspondence with almost weekly for the last five years, in person.

With the meeting over Sasori left immediately. Gaara watched his Uncle leave without a word, slip through the door and down the hall. He could feel him moving down the street toward, ah yes, he was going to his wife, to Sakura.

“Your Uncle is anxious to pass the mantle Kazekage Sama. He never wished to take the position of Kazekage, even when it was his right, he abdicated the role to your father.” The same councilman that had joked with him about being late slid up next to him and spoke freely.

“I understand. It is a weighty burden for a man who had been newly wed, before I left.” Gaara nodded.

The councilman nodded slowly, thinking. “Yes, well...taking the title cost Sasori Sama more than just his time.” 

“Explain.” Gaara said it casually, but it was clearly a command.

“Your absence...devastated Sakura Sama and Sasori Sama’s new responsibilities often left her...alone. It is not my place to say anything further. We are grateful for her efforts in the hospital and in the field, she is truly the goddess we had always thought her to be.” The councilman bowed.

“Goddess?” Gaara turned his full attention to the man, his hands behind his back clasped at his fingers and waited for the man to elaborate.

“Well, you’ll have noticed she...doesn’t age.” The man hesitated, not sure how to continue. “She must be at least in her thirties and yet…”

“She looks no older than 19, yes I noticed.” Gaara turned from the councilman. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Takeda San stood still, his feet planted to the spot in which he stood...had he said something wrong?

Gaara stood in the Kazekage’s office, his office and looked out over Suna, his village. A memory filled his head and he turned fully expecting to see Sakura standing before him, her hand on her hip and her head cocked to the side, come to tell him Naruto was waiting for him at the ramen stand and was he going to join them or work himself into the night.

“Too many memories that...are mine and yet...they aren’t mine.” He mumbled to the empty room.

‘Ours’, Shukaku reminded him.

‘Ours’, Gaara nodded in agreement to the tanuki.

Shukaku’s connection to Sakura had helped more than anything while he had been gone. He could feel, with Shukaku’s help, what she was feeling. Sometimes the feelings were strong and other times, they were very faint. 

It was the only way he could sleep at night in the first year. He would lay in his bed, in the cold and dusty outpost thinking of his mother. He would imagine her arms wrapped around him, the beating of her heart against his ear and close his eyes. If he concentrated very hard, and if Shukaku was in a good mood, they would listen together and hear it.

Thump Thump.

Breathe out.

Thump. Thump.

Breathe in.

...and he would fall asleep listening to the sound of his mother’s heart, his pillow wet beneath his cheek.

It had been hard, it had been bitter. The team at the outpost didn’t know him as his village knew him. They hadn’t seen the change in him or the affect his mother had on their village. To them, he was still a monster. He had persevered through, he had won their respect, their trust and he had become stronger.

Later as he had grown older pictures would randomly flash through his head. Pictures of himself with a beautiful woman in his bed, beside him, under him...Sakura. At first, it had disturbed him, had made him sick but after a time and after many talks and explanations from Shukaku he had begun to understand. She had never been his mother but...his mate.

Shukaku told him what had come to pass, had told him Sakura didn’t know, had shown him the time she had come from, after she had come and what had happened, how he had died and...how they had won the war. 

‘She still has to heal the goddess’, Shukaku reminded him. ‘The war has yet to begin’, Shukaku rolled over in his head and looked at him over his shoulder. ‘They will come for you again’, Shukaku warned.

“I am aware.” Gaara said out loud. They have had this conversation many times before, he didn’t want to have it again, at least, not right now. He dropped to the floor in a pile of sand and slipped through the cracks down to the street and home.

He could hear them talking below him. His chakra masked, he lay in his bed, his head to the ceiling and listened.

“It is no longer appropriate Sakura. Surely you must see that.” Sasori watched his wife as she looked away from him, out over the garden she had planted three years ago by the kitchen.

“Appropriate, since when did such things matter to you?” She turned to look at him.

“He is a grown man now, he should live in the Kazekage’s rooms of the old palace. He shouldn’t be at home, living with his mother anymore.” Sasori’s voice was calm, controlled.

“You told him he could stay.” She countered.

“To please you. Everything I do is to please you.” He moved to her taking her hands in his.

“Everything? Like sending him away in the first place, keeping me from him for ten years, not even letting me send him a letter, not giving me the letters he wrote to me? I know Sasori, I know you kept his letters from me.” She yanked her hands from her husbands and stood up.

“You never said anything about it.” Sasori dropped his hands to his side.

“It wouldn’t have changed anything. It doesn’t make it right, just because I didn’t tell you I knew.” She turned her back on him and continued to look out over her garden.

“Is that why you deny me Sakura? Will you never forgive me then?” He sat down on one of the chairs and continued to watch her.

“Is that why...you won’t give me a child?” He asked her, his voice barely above a whisper.

“When the news came from Konoha that the Akatsuki were hunting the tailed beasts and their jinchuuriki openly, I begged you, I begged you Sasori to bring him home...but you refused. You took my child from me, why should I give you one in return.” Sakura turned again, without looking back and walked off the porch and down the street.

“...and now that your child has returned...you still deny me. I love you and yet...” Sasori sighed, rose and walked the opposite way his wife had gone, down the street to his lab to be alone.

‘Interesting kit’, Shukaku hummed in his head.

‘Yes’, Gaara agreed with the tanuki, interesting.

“Damn it!” She screamed punching the ground, sand exploded around her fist and shot up into the air, blocking out the sun.

“Fucking hell!” She slammed palm after palm of infused chakra into the wall behind her making it crack and crumble.

“Does the council know that the wife of the former Kazekage is destroying the ruins of the ancient sun god?” a deep voice floated down to her from the top edge of the wall.

“Gaara.” Sakura turned and took a step back to look up at him.

Gaara stepped off the side of the wall to stand before her. “Sakura. Or...should I still call you Ka San?” He smiled, a rare smile.

She felt her cheeks flush. “You may call me whatever you wish, we both know I wasn’t really your mother.” her arms hung limply at her sides, her fingers twitched.

Gaara’s eyes flickered to her fingers then back up to her face. “No you weren't but, you did love me and I did love you...once.”

“I did.” She smiled at him, her eyes shining. “I did love you like my son, once.”

“...and before that Sakura?” He took a step toward her.

“Before?” She took a step back.

“You told me you loved me before too.” He stepped forward again and cupped her cheek. “Remember?”

Sakura swallowed. He looked the same and yet…”You...remember? Before? In my time?”

“I remember.” He moved his body closer to hers, his hand sliding down the side of her cheek to her neck, his thumb rubbing small light circles over her rapidly beating pulse.

“I’m married to your Uncle Gaara.” She stepped back from his touch...reluctantly. “I’m married now, to Sasori.”

“Are you happy?” He asked, her making no move toward her again.

“Of course I am.” She spun on her heel and ran, back to Suna, away from him, from her past.

“You don’t look happy.” Gaara watched her run away.


	53. Chapter 53

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For some acts, forgiveness can only be given once the thing that was taken , is returned.

“Your inauguration will be next month. The announcement has already been sent out” Sasori handed his nephew a copy of one of the announcements.

“Both Temari and your brother will have returned to the village by then. Sakura and I will be there of course. You will need new robes made, I believe Sakura has already taken care of that for you though.” Sasori continued.

“I will stay on as your on call advisor unless you have any objections, at least...until you can find a replacement for me. I fired the last two who held the position, they were imbeciles.” Sasori smirked.

“That is fine Uncle.” Gaara nodded at the announcements. 

“I don't want a big party.” Gaara rose from his seat. He needed a secretary.

“Why don’t I have a secretary Uncle?” Gaara asked.

“He was an imbecile.” Sasori shrugged. “I preferred to do it myself. I will look into getting you another.”

“It seems you did a lot of this yourself, how did you manage Uncle?” Gaara asked.

“Pardon?” Sasori didn’t like what his Nephew seemed to be implying.

“You were newly wed, just over a year before I left for the out post. Doing everything yourself must have taken up more hours in the day than the sun allowed.” Gaara turned to look at his Uncle, his own face blank. Almost as blank and passive as his Uncle’s.

“There was time for what was important.” Sasori narrowed his eyes.

“Was there?” Gaara inquired.

Sasori and his nephew looked at one another, each with a different expression. Sasori smirked. He recognized a challenge when he saw one and there was no doubt in his mind, his nephew...was challenging him. 

The question was...what was he challenging him on. Did he think he had neglected his mother...was it a son challenging the man who had neglected her or was it a man challenging him for the affections of his wife...

“Welcome home Nephew. I’m sure your mother is expecting you for dinner tonight. Don’t be late.” Sasori left the Kazekage to his work.

Gaara watched his Uncle leave his office.

‘Challenge accepted’, the words hung in the air between them as if they had been spoken…

“I look forward to it...Uncle Sasori.” Gaara picked up the next form on his desk, signed his name to it and picked up another, fully aware of the blue eyes that watched him from his office window.

Megumu moved around the kitchen with her friend cutting vegetables and stirring the hot pot as they talked.

“He’s the same Megumu and yet, he’s not. It’s so confusing.” Sakura told her friend.

“It’s good to have him home though of course, now you can spend more time with Sasori Sama.” Megumu knew that her friend’s marriage wasn’t as perfect as everyone thought it was. She knew, Ryo knew and most of the council knew...but no one knew like she did. Sakura hadn’t gone to Sasori’s bed in over three years now...and they had no children.

They never fought openly, never cast any doubt upon their relationship that could be considered ‘proof’, but...there was something about the way he touched her, the way she stepped back and away from him at functions...that even a civilian would notice.

There were rumors of course, that Sakura Sama was barren, but Megumu knew that wasn’t true...Sakura had told her herself one night, one very drunken night, that she had stopped her cycles when she had married Sasori, that...she didn’t want to have his children.

It wasn’t any of Megumu’s business, but she did wonder...why. She could guess, and she thought she might know but...again, it wasn’t any of her business and she never brought it up to her friend again after her one drunken confession.

“Yes. Sasori,” Sakura’s hands stopped mid cut through a carrot. “...he’s no longer Kazekage now. I suppose now...he’ll have time for me.”

“Being Kazekage was important, you know he would never have chosen to spend so many night’s away from you if he had a choice.” Megumu tried to console her friend, like she had for the last ten years of her marriage to Sasori.

“I suppose.” Sakura began cutting the carrot again. “Still, if you really love someone, you’ll make time for them.”

Sakura smiled thinking of things she hadn’t thought of in over...ten years. Gaara, had always made time for her. He had been Kazekage, Regimental Commander of the Allied Shinobi forces, they had been at war and yet, he had still made time for her. Sakura bit her bottom lip. Was that fair of her to compare them...was it fair for Sasori to have placed her second to the role of Kazekage, taken her son from her for ten years and then demand she give him another...none of it was fair.

“There’s time now.” Sasori’s voice made both women jump and he frowned. “You didn’t sense me?” He looked at his wife scanning her for fatigue or chakra drain.

“No, distracted.” Sakura cut up two more carrots before looking up to meet Sasori’s eyes.

Megumu looked from Sasori to her friend and excused herself, claiming she needed to go to the market for something she had forgotten earlier that day.

“I heard you were beating up ancient ruins earlier this morning in the desert.” Sasori moved up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist, setting his head over her shoulder and watched her cut up small cabbages.

“I was...frustrated.” She ignored him.

“With me.” It was a statement not a question.

“With...everything.” She looked over her shoulder at him. 

Her eyes locked with his. She licked her lips and turned her head back to cutting the cabbages. He was still a very attractive man and young looking for his age. If she hadn’t been blessed by the goddess she might have been jealous of his genetics to age slowly or at least to appear to age more slowly than those around him.

“Sakura.” He lifted his chin from her shoulder and spun her around to face him, pulling the knife from her hand in one fluid motion as the other hand cupped her chin and lifted her head to meet his eyes again. “I love you.”

Simple. True and incredibly disturbing. He gazed into her eyes and she closed hers.

“Sasori it’s...it’s…” She began.

“It’s what dear? Is it too late...do you...not love me anymore?” He asked her quietly, his head dropping to hers pressing their foreheads together, he breathed out slowly then in again. “Have I really failed you so horribly?”

“You haven’t failed me, but…” She moved away from him, stepping back up, her legs coming up against the counter, her hands bracing her weight against the side. “Let’s just see okay, see how...the new changes go. See if we can, reconnect.”

“Reconnect.” He said quietly, then nodded his head. “I would like to...reconnect with you Sakura.”

Sakura nodded and turned back to the cabbages. Maybe...now that he had more time it could go back to the way things used to be, when she felt like she was the most important thing in his life.

“Do you still think of him as your son Sakura...or as your lover?” Sasori asked her.

She whirled on her heel, took one step forward and slapped him across the face. “That is not what this is about and never has been Sasori.”

“Am I...interrupting? Ka San?” Gaara stood on the road looking at them in the open kitchen, his Uncle’s cheek growing red where Sakura had stuck him.

Sasori didn’t look at his nephew, didn’t turn his head from his wife. “Answer me Sakura.”

“Leave Sasori.” She growled.

“This is my house.” He took a step toward her.

Gaara’s finger twitched.

“...and yet you have been living in the main house alone for the past year.” She countered making Gaara hum with interest, his hand resting calm at his side.

“Out of convenience, not desire.” Sasori took another step toward his wife. “...and at your suggestion.” He added his gaze hard and consuming as it bore into hers.

“Desire...what do you know of desire.” Sakura laughed...it was an unpleasant sound filled with resentment, loathing and...pain.

Gaara had never heard her laugh like that before, he never wanted to hear it again. Quickly, he was by her side taking her hands in his. “Are you alright?”

Surprised, Sakura's eyes left Sasori’s and looked up into the calming teal of Gaara’s eyes.

Slowly like melting ice her breathing calmed and her face relaxed. He had always had that effect on her. She sighed and the tension fell away from her fingers, her hands and her stance.

Sasori watched with suppressed agony and rage as his wife calmed, then still in the hands of another man...his Nephew the Kazekage.

“I’m fine Gaara. I’m sorry, we were just...talking.” Sakura pulled her hands from his grasp and took a step back from him.

“While I find talking a fine means of communication, sometimes, it is best...not to talk.” Gaara smiled a knowing smile at Sakura and she gasped.

He had said that to her the first time they had…

“Gaara, that’s...I mean…” Her eyes looked to Sasori and back to Gaara so quickly that her head began to spin. 

“This can’t be happening.” She stumbled backward, braced her weight against the counter and slumped down to sit on the stone flooring.

“Forgive me Sakura. I didn't mean to...overwhelm you. I came to tell you I will be dining with some of the council members tonight and wished to ask your forgiveness. Perhaps another time.” Gaara bowed low to Sakura and nodded to his Uncle before leaving at a slow leisurely pace.

Sasori watched his nephew walk away. ‘A lie’, Sasori knew he had lied to spare Sakura her confusion, to...give her time. Admirable, he had to admit, would he have been able to do the same...could he walk away from her, with her best interest in mind…

“Forgive me as well dear. I did not wish to...upset you.” Sasori turned to leave but she stopped him.

“Wait, I’m sorry. It...isn’t your fault not really, it isn’t mine either but maybe we could...try. You’re still my husband.” Sakura rose to her feet. She wasn’t a coward and Gaara had called her mother several times now since his return, he had kissed her but she had kissed him as a child on the mouth, perhaps she was...looking into it too much and...not giving Sasori his due. After all, almost everything he did, he did for her…

“Would you like to have dinner with me tonight, Sasori?” Sakura smiled at her husband.

“Yes. I would like that.” Sasori’s mouth twitched and time spun backward, he felt...hope.

‘Why did you leave’, Shukaku didn’t understand. ‘What are we waiting for now’, the tanuki demanded. ‘She loves us I can see it in her eyes’, Shukaku protested.

‘Did you not see her panic as well Shukaku, it is too much for her too soon. We need to focus on our work, on Suna, and give her some time. My Uncle is not a fool, he knows...about us. It will not be easy taking her from him’, Gaara explained to Shukaku.

Shukaku sat back on his haunches thinking about Gaara’s words. ‘Okay but I still say we should try’

‘We will do more than try Shukaku, she is ours, but there is a right way and a wrong way to do this. You remember how she gets when she gets frustrated?’ He asked the raccoon.

‘Oh, yes, I understand’, Shukaku conceded. ‘She looked beautiful, just the way we remembered though didn’t she?’, Shukaku grinned at him.

‘Yes, she is more beautiful than I remember, before I died.’, Gaara smiled as he walked through the market.

‘When will we tell her’, Shukaku asked curiously.

‘That we died and when we died our other self melded with this consciousness and that I became aware of both timelines?’ Gaara laughed startling a serving girl at one of the many food stands causing him to look over at her. She bowed low and he inclined his head to her, walking past not seeing the interested eye of the maid.

‘In time, after she has had a chance to get used to us again’, Gaara assured the tanuki.

Shukaku nodded, ‘Okay. I’ll be patient’, he rolled over, his paws in the air, flopping onto his side and looking out at the world through Gaara’s eyes.

‘Suna has changed and yet, it hasn’t...has it boy?’ Shukaku raised his nose to the air and began to sniff appreciatively.

‘Yes, it’s nice to see it again before it was ravaged by war’, Gaara stopped in front of the fried liver and curry stand he had favored during his other time as Kazekage.

Sakura sat across the table from her husband as they ate the dinner she and Megumu had made.

“This is wonderful dear.” Sasori tried for some...small talk.

“Thank you.” Sakura frowned into her rice.

Sasori didn’t know what to say anymore, at one time there was nothing they couldn’t talk about, wouldn’t interest them both and they would talk for hours together, but now…

“How is the hospital?” He asked her, he had to make this work.

“I gave you the progress report last week.” She picked up her water and sipped.

“How is your staff, they hardly need you there anymore, you have them all trained and running around putting out fires left and right all through Wind country.” He smiled at her but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Are you telling me to retire? I won’t.” She scoffed at him.

“Just because I am retired now doesn’t mean I want you to retire. I know you won’t anyway.” He almost laughed at the idea.

Silence fell between them once more.

“Whatever I did, I did to protect you Sakura.” Sasori said once the silence between them became nearly unbearable.

“To protect me.” She looked down at her hands in her lap. “Like sending him away and then refusing to call him home when you knew the Akatsuki were hunting the tailed beasts, knowing what I told you about that organization?” She glared at him.

“Deidara is still in Iwa. I am still here in Suna, their numbers are not what they were in your time, the threat is not as…” He didn’t get to finish his thought.

“They are not to be underestimated. You and Deidara were formidable don’t mistake my worry for insult, but you are not the only S-rank nin out there to recruit!” She argued.

“Itachi is still in Konoha, the Uchiha are thriving because of you.” He said gently.

“You should have brought him back to me.” Her eyes began to grow hot but she clamped her mouth down and refused to cry...again.

She didn’t think he was going to respond, she thought he had decided to ignore her but he didn’t and when he spoke again it was sincere.

“You’re right dear. I’m sorry. I should have brought your son home to you. I was...selfish. Forgive me Sakura. It was...a mistake.” He bowed his head to her and she looked up at him with startled eyes.

Sasori raised his eyes to hers. “I’m sorry Sakura. I can’t change the past but perhaps, I could make it up to you, for our future?” 

She could hear the desperation in his voice, the...love. “Oh Sasori. Do you mean it?” The tears fell from her eyes unable to be contained any longer.

“Of course Sakura. I never should have ignored your plea, forgive me.” He stood up just in time to catch her as she fell into his arms and hugged him tightly.

‘I should have brought the boy back long before he had grown into the man you fell in love with then perhaps now...you would still see him as a boy and not a man.’ Sasori chastised himself for his carelessness. 

He could have avoided this problem if he had only thought ten more years ahead, but at the time, the only thought in his head was to rid him of his disgraceful brother, and the annoying presence of his nephew. His nephew was no less annoying now but infinitely more dangerous to both his marriage and to his happiness.

Yes, he was sorry.

Gaara returned just before nightfall. “I have given it some thought and...perhaps it would be best for me to move into the palace.” He bowed his head low to Sakura.

“It is not because I do not wish to be close to you Ka San, but that I am the Kazekage and perhaps it is not...appropriate for me to remain at home anymore.” Gaara glanced at his Uncle.

If Sasori was pleased or surprised it didn’t show, he merely nodded at his nephew.

“Oh, well...I understand and perhaps your right. It wouldn’t do to have it get out that the Kazekage still lives with his mother I suppose.” She laughed.

“I’ll move your things to the palace tomorrow for you while you're at the office.” She smiled a fake smile. She had wanted him at home but...perhaps it was for the best, like he said. She glanced at Sasori who was looking at Gaara. Was he relieved?

“Thank you. Ka San.” Gaara bowed low again and walked across the street to the palace, he would sleep in a guest room tonight.

“It is still close.” Sasori tried to be diplomatic about the situation. There was a small chance that...maybe he had misread the situation. The boy had decided to leave on his own, had agreed it was inappropriate...perhaps...it would be okay.

“I know it’s just…” Sakura laughed self consciously.

“You missed him, I know.” Sasori grimaced slightly.

Sakura seemed to take this as a sign of remorse because she placed her hand on his chest and smiled. “Would you like to stay here tonight, with me?”

Sasori’s heart jumped in his chest. It had been over three years now she had asked him to...stay the night. “I would like that.” 

Sakura took her husband’s hand and led him inside their house, to their bedroom.


	54. Chapter 54

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No Mei Allowed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I do read all of your comments and try to respond to most of them.
> 
> I know some of you really want Sasori to win over Sakura's affections again and for those of you, you will be pleased with the content of this chapter.
> 
> Some of you are really cheering for Gaara, and I can't blame you.
> 
> Most of you know it is very difficult for me not to ship her with Sasori...however, I find with this fic it is also...very difficult for me to not ship her with Gaara...
> 
> As such, I have decided to wing it...that's right folks...I'm going to wing it, lol...let's see how it goes...I usually have at least a vague idea who I want the end ship to be...not this time lol

Sasori breathed in the scent of his wife’s skin like a man drowning. It had been...too long since he had lay with her, just lay with her in their bed, holding her. He had been a fool perhaps but she hadn’t understood either. 

He hadn’t been ignoring her, he had been working hard so that when his nephew returned, he would no longer be needed, so that he could retire and spend all of his time with her. In his mind, ten years was a small price for the next forty and kami willing fifty or beyond.

“You were never second place Sakura. You were always, always first in my mind. I worked tirelessly for ten years so that I wouldn’t have to work for the next fifty, so that I could spend all my time with you when Gaara returned. I’ve built him a formidable empire, all he need now is keep it from falling.” He whispered into her hair.

“Why didn’t you tell me, why let me think that you...didn’t want me?” She murmured into his chest, her breath warm over his bare skin.

“How could I not want you...but no I couldn’t tell you, you never would have let me continue as I did, you would have...torn my walls down and made me love you even more than I already did.” He pet her hair out of his face and moved to the side a bit so he could look into her eyes.

“Wouldn’t you.” He prodded her gently.

“I would have understood.” She protested. “You don’t know what it was like being without you.”

“Don’t I?” He snorted.

“You would have ruined my plans Sakura, it had to be this way but I meant it...I am sorry I did not bring the boy home to you before he grew into the man that returned.” He tilted her face up to his and brushed his lips along the corner of her mouth.

“I didn’t help.” She admitted.

“No, kicking me out of my house didn’t help. Refusing to lay with me didn't help.” He snorted.

“I said I was sorry. I forgave you, you have to forgive me too.” She narrowed her green eyes at him.

“My dear, you have no idea do you...I forgave you for anything you could ever do to hurt me the moment I realized how much I loved you.” he nudged her mouth with his nose and she looked back up at him.

“How can you say such things to me.” She didn’t understand.

“I love you.” he said simply.

“I love you too Sasori, forgive me.” She whispered.

“Forgiven.” Slowly, lightly he ran his hand down her shoulder, her arm, then down her hip suggestively holding the dip between her hip and her waist.

“Let me show you how much I love you, now that your son is home and you’ve forgiven me?” He pulled her by the hip playfully, then slid his palm up her back under her sleeping shirt closing his eyes.

“You’re so soft Sakura, you haven’t aged a moment since we first met. Since I first touched you.” He moved his lower half against her so she could feel his arousal for herself.

“I’m worried Sasori.” She whispered to him in the dark.

“What worries you?” He kissed her chin moving down her neck as she spoke.

“War is coming again, only this time, so much has changed, so much is different I don’t know what will happen.” She moved against him, her breath coming up short.

“You underestimate me my dear.” He lifted her shirt up and off over her head.

“What?” She pushed his pants down off his hips and to the floor.

“What do you think I’ve been doing for the last ten years, Sakura?” He pulled at the ties of her pants pushing them down and off of her legs.

“Setting up an empire for Gaara, like you said?” She kissed his chest, her nails trailing down his back.

“Yes, that reaches far and wide beyond the boundaries of the desert. Gaara is just as clever as you told me he would be, as I expected him to be. I didn’t accomplish all of this on my own and he knows, he knows what the future holds, his tailed beast has seen it.” His hand dropped down between her legs.

“What? What has he seen?” She asked him, rolling her head to the side and back as his fingers played over her sensitive skin.

“His own death, the end of the war, the death of the goddess.” He mumbled into the skin of her neck.

Sakura pulled away and stopped him with a hand on his chest. “His death?” She asked him, her eyes wide.

“You, didn’t know.” He paused. “He dies during the war Sakura, the war you left behind.”

“I wasn’t there, I wasn’t there to heal him.” She drew her legs up to her chest and shook her head back and forth. “If I had been there I could have healed him, he would have lived.”

“It doesn’t matter though dear, don’t you understand?” Sasori didn’t like where this conversation was going. He didn’t like that she had pulled away from him and that they were still speaking of his nephew and of a time that his wife and him had been lovers.

“What do you, what do you mean it doesn’t matter?” She said, confused and Sasori realized she wasn't upset, she just didn’t understand what he meant.

“He is alive now, you said yourself, so much has changed, that you don’t know what will happen. Sakura, there might not even be a war, and Gaara, along with everyone else who died during the war, won’t.” He kissed her forehead and pulled her arms from around her legs, up and around his neck, wrapping his own arms around her and pulled her up and over to lay on top of him.

“Gaara and I have been trying for the last ten years to prevent the very war that tore your world apart...I...thought you knew.” He really thought she had too, he had never been more blind and dare he say...stupid.

“I knew you were making efforts for peace, that you were visiting the other Hidden Villages and talks had been had. I didn’t realize it was that far along though.” She querked a pink eyebrow at him in the dark.

“I traveled back and forth to Kumo almost once a month for two years for peace negotiations. I granted Iwa territory in the north Wind country that they had wanted since the time of the first Kazekage that we never even used. Konoha has opened trade with us at an unprecedented level and we even have trade in the Land of Water and Iron now.” He looked at her surprised.

“Were you really that caught up in the hospital and your grief that you didn’t...notice anything I was doing for you?” He sounded more surprised than angry.

Sakura felt terrible, she had been...so selfish she had thought that …

“We are so close, Sakura, the five great nations along with the Land of Iron...are almost all at peace. If the Akatsuki make their final move, we will be ready.” He trailed his fingers through her hair and massaged her scalp.

“Gaara helped you?” She hummed in pleasure as his fingers pulled and moved through her hair.

“He wrote letters and answered missives from the smaller nations, with extra attention to Rain, Bear and many of the ones that were ravaged in the last three wars, the ones that had gotten caught up in the larger wars of the larger nations.”

“He has quite a head for diplomacy and an empathetic ear. If you hadn’t told me he had been Kazekage before, I would have been nothing less than...astounded at how well he had taken to his role.” Sasori admitted. “...but he had been Kazekage for several years before the war in your time, so I understand.”

Sakura stiffened under his hands. “He remembers? Everything?”

“I do not know what he remembers and what he doesn’t. He has not spoken of it to me and I doubt he will ever wish to, however, it is clear...he knows what he is doing and what is expected of him.” Sasori’s heart beat steadily in his chest, his breath was calm but his mind was whirling. ‘Did this change anything for her?’, he wondered.

“Ah.” She pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked up at his face. “Does it bother you, that I had a relationship with him, before I came here?”

Sasori searched her eyes, she gave nothing away. “No.” He told her, it was the truth. Who she had been with before him didn’t matter to him, however…

“Unless you still have those amorous feelings for him that are more than what a mother has for a son.” He said...also truthfully.

He felt a small shiver run down her spine and cupped her chin searching her eyes again. He found nothing untoward and sighed, closing his own eyes.

“I love you Sasori. I did love Gaara once but...I don’t think I could love him again not like that, not now after...having him with me so long as my, son.” She shrugged.

“Besides, you heard him, he still calls me mother.” She smiled then, a bright sincere smile that told him she was pleased he still called her mother and a little part of him, the dark and jealous part that hadn't surfaced since his brother had lived...laid back down and tucked it’s head under its arm...satisfied.

“Yes, he does. I’m glad you have your son back Sakura.” He kissed her nose, flipped her and smirked when she squeaked. “Now that everything is forgiven, perhaps we can...make another?”

“Give me a little time but...I think...that might be possible.” She smiled up at his glowing amber eyes, so handsome in the moonlight.

Sasori lay his head down on her chest. ‘Thank you’, he had no idea who he was thanking, no idea who he should thank but he was thankful, they were going to be okay. Maybe he ought to have brought the brat back sooner, for her.

The sun rose but Sasori made no move to start the day. It had been three years since he had woken up with Sakura by his side, her head on his chest, his arms around her naked body pressed up against his own naked body...he didn’t want to move unless it was for…

“Mmmm, what time is it?” Sakura blinked her eyes open to the new day, her hair sliding silkily over his skin as she moved her head to look up at him.

“I’m glad you didn’t cut your hair again.” He almost groaned.

A light amused tinkling of bells brought a smile to his lips, she was laughing at him.

“Oh?” She said playfully, turning her head, lifting it and turning it again to drag the length of her hair over his chest once more.

“Do you have somewhere to be this morning or can we…” 

Sakura closed her eyes and opened her mouth to her husband as he pulled her up a bit over his chest and fit his mouth over hers.

“Hospital.” The word was forced out of her brain and the side of her mouth as Sasori continued to bite and nip at her lips, his tongue rolling over hers pulling her back into his kiss.

“Surgery?” He asked quickly before moving down the bed to kiss at the base of her neck and tug at the ends of her hair making her lean back and away for him to move even lower and take one of her nipples into his wet mouth.

“Ungh.” She moaned and ran her nails through his hair pulling and tugging at his red locks as he continued to kiss his way down her chest to her stomach.

“Yes, I should...go.” 

He spread her legs with two hands on either side of her inner thighs and dipped his head. “Are you sure? Dear, I was thinking we might…”

Lick*

“Ungh.” She growled her frustration. “Sasori, I really should.”

Lick* Tug*

“Yes dear?” He lifted his head, eyes wide and innocent.

Sakura gwafed and hit him in the head with her pillow. “You ass.” She laughed and rolled over, displacing him from between her legs and hopping off the bed.

Sasori grinned, laid back in the bed to watch her dress. “Lunch?” He asked her before she could run out of the room and to the hospital.

“My office? Noon?” She pulled on the ends of his hair playfully and kissed his mouth.

“Tempura and dango.” He pulled her back onto the bed and kissed her deeply, quickly,then released her.

“I think I like you being retired.” She winked at him as she ran out the bedroom door.

“Me too.” He rolled over in bed, naked and happy, his arms behind his head as he stared up at the glass ceiling of the floor of their private greenhouse.

“Good morning Sakura Sama.” Megumu handed her a travel mug of coffee with the cream and sugar she favored, a bagel with sesame seeds and her bag purse with all of her important papers in it.

“Thank you Megumu. Oh, uh, Sasori is upstairs so um, don’t go up there just yet okay?” Sakura blushed and ran out the door.

“Sasori Sama is…” Megumu looked up as though she could see through the floors to her friend’s bedroom. “It’s about damn time!” She called out as her friend ran down the street ducking her head.

“Oh Sakura Sama, there you are, we’re prepped and ready for you...are you, did something happen Sakura Sama?” Kita peered at her friend and mentor, she looked...happy.

“Gaara’s back!” Sakura said loudly and then more calmly. “My son is back.”

“Oh! That’s wonderful Sakura Sama!” Kita hugged the pink haired woman sharing her joy.

“I know, I missed him so much and now he’s home, he’s finally home.” Sakura took a deep breath beaming at her former student. “Let’s do this.”

Two hours later Sakura was in her office watering her plants smiling and talking to them per her usual…”There you go Veronica.” She tipped the water from the can onto the aloe plant Sasori had given her nearly ten years ago.

“...and how are you today Allen? Are you and Veronica going to have lots of little aloe plants soon?” She laughed at her own ridiculousness.

“I see how you managed to stay so occupied in my absence.” Sasori teased her and she spun around, water sloshing from her watering can.

“Sasori, it isn’t noon yet is it?” Sakura smiled.

“Not yet but I found myself wondering what you were doing, and seeing as the Kazekage didn’t need my console…” He moved into the room, took the watering can from her hand and kissed her. “...I thought I would come to the hospital and see what my wife was doing.”

“I’m watering my plants.” She waved her hand behind her.

“I can see that.” He smirked, as a light blush stained her cheeks.

Sasori watched her watch him.

“It’s still a bit, awkward I guess. We haven’t really talked in a while.” She smiled tentatively.

“I suppose not.” He sat down in one of her chairs by her desk.

“It’s kind of like when we first met. Here.” She smiled at the thought.

“You tried to punch me in the head with a chakra infused fist when we first met here dear.” His mouth drew up into a lopsided smirk on one side.

“You wrapped me in chakra strings and threw me up against a wall.” She laughed.

“It was definitely a memorable meeting.” His eyes went soft as he looked at her.

“You were always memorable Sasori, both times we met for the first time.” She walked over and sat on the edge of her desk closer to him and crossed her legs at the ankles.

“It’s like we’re falling in love all over again.” She laughed at her own joke but stopped when she looked up to see the pain in his eyes.

“I never stopped loving you. Did you...stop loving me Sakura?” He asked, taking her hand in his and holding it to his chest.

She swallowed. “No but, I was very angry at you, for a very long time.” She lowered her eyes and looked at the floor.

Sasori stood and stepped in front of her so that one of his legs was on either side of hers, bent and ghosted his lips over hers. “I’m sorry Sakura.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” She lifted her hands to lay them flat against his chest, the fabric of his button down shirt soft beneath her fingers.

“It wasn’t yours.” He murmured against her lips, teasing the seam with his tongue, sliding it across her bottom lip to the corner of her mouth where he prodded her lips gently.

Sakura spread her fingers out across his chest then drew her fingers in bunching up the fabric pulling him closer. Sasori leaned over her, his hands on either side of her flat on the desk.

“I heard you talking to your plants, encouraging them to...procreate.” His tongue slipped into the side of her mouth.

“Umhum.” She scooted to the edge of her desk trying to draw him closer to her.

“Maybe they don’t know how, we could...give them a demonstration.” He smirked and pulled back from her smiling into her eyes.

“Plants don’t reproduce like that, you know that Sasori.” She laughed at his playful behavior, he hadn’t been like this with her...in years.

“Maybe they don’t reproduce like that because they’ve never seen how it was done.” He made the hand signs to lock her door and then the ones for silencing seals.

“You don’t have any more surgeries today I checked.” He kissed her roughly, his hands moving to her hair pressing her back onto the desk.

“Hmph.” She laid down on her desk knocking several folders to the floor.

“Lunch is much more enjoyable after sex.” He hummed in her ear and she giggled. He smiled into the crook of her neck.

“It’s been a while dear. I don’t know how long I’m going to last but…” He pulled her boots from her feet and let them drop to the floor. “I’m willing if you are.”

“Stop talking so much and just do it.” She hissed sitting up and pulling his shirt from him, several buttons went flying.

Sasori smirked, his eyes flashing. 

“Minx.” He growled and pulled her shirt over her head and off, dropping it on top of her boots. Her hands reached out and unbuckled his pants, pouch, scrolls and pants fell to the floor with a clatter.

“I don’t know if I can be gentle Sakura.” He growled into her breasts taking one into his mouth by the nipple and sucking hard.

“Don’t be. I’m a medic, remember, bruise me Sasori.” She whimpered into the top of his head, his hands pushing, then pulling her pants from her legs.

“With pleasure dear.” He pushed her legs open as he stood between them, his fingers sliding up her thighs, one hand cupping her sex, the other in her hair forcing her head back exposing her neck to his teeth.

He bit down hard at the base of her throat as he slid two fingers up into her pulling her roughly to the edge of the desk when she jerked in his hands.

“Ungh!” She moved and he pulled her back to his hand, his mouth.

Sakura closed her eyes and rolled her head as his fingers curled up into her, he had always known how to touch her, how to drive her wild from the very first time they had touched. 

“Does that feel good dear, did you miss me?” His eyes were closed, his tongue licking the marks along her neck and jaw where he had bitten her.

“Sasori.” She gasped out his name. “Please.” She groaned as his fingers continued to twist into the walls of her sex.

“How rough can I be, how much can you take…” He withdrew his hand, grabbing both of her breasts, leaning over her forcing her back down onto her desk.

“I can take whatever you can give me Sasori.” Her tone was sharp, her eyes sharper.

“I fucking missed you.” He moved against her once then twice before sliding up into her hard.

“I missed, you , too ungh.” She tossed her head as he thrust up into her harder and harder, rocking against her center, bruising her with his hips.

Sakura bit her lip, her nails tearing down the sides of his back making him grunt. 

“Fuck.” She rolled her head to the left, then the right, making him smile and lean into her more forcefully.

“Sasori.” She moaned his name the way he had been dreaming of her doing for the last three years.

“Good girl, that’s it.” he pulled her by the hips up and into him rocking her back into the desk, files falling to the floor scattering across the tiles.

He could feel the pressure growing and he grunted, he could feel how close she was, her walls flexed and tightened around his shaft. “So close dear.”

“Come with me Sakura, come with me.” he ground into her, pulling her hair ruthlessly making her arch her back up off of the desk.

“Unnnn!” She cried out her orgasm into his mouth.

Once, twice, he thrust into her hard twisting her hair up in his fist bending her backward, pulling her hips up to meet him before his release.

“Fuck…” He groaned out, his breath catching in his throat, he jerked into her his come shooting against the sides of her walls, pushing her over the edge once more and leaving her gasping for air.

“I love you. I missed you, I love you, whatever you want, if I can give it to you, whatever it is, I'll do it.” He pulled her up to his chest breathing hard into her hair. 

“I don’t ever want to be apart from you again, never Sakura, never again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, I think I did a bit better this time...with the smut.
> 
> Smut is actually terribly difficult for me to write. Which is believe it or not why I try to write so much of it. I have to get better.
> 
> Let me know...


	55. Chapter 55

Teal eyes showed none of the disinterest he felt. He had learned from before how to school his features into an emotionless void. No one would know what he was thinking...unless he wanted them too.

“Those are the projections for the next two years. As you can see Kazekage Sama, Lady Sakura has continued to reform how the hospital spends their budget and I believe she is very close to perfecting the art.” Takeda smiled sincerely at the Kazekage who nodded his head.

“Sakura was always good that way. Tell me though, making all of our own medicines here, will that not take away from the medic nin who should be available for the field?” Gaara inquired.

“Not at all. Lady Sakura has labeled her medic staff with two different rotating shifts. One shift makes the medicines, the other is available for active duty. There is less down time for the medic nin because making the medicine while useful, is not overly taxing on their chakra making them productive and rested during their down time for the next rotation.” Takeda explained.

“She truly is remarkable.” Gaara smiled a slow smile.

“Indeed she is.” Several of the councilmen agreed openly, while others nodded or smiled their praise.

“I don’t know what we would do without her.” Takeda smiled.

“Neither do I.” Gaara looked down at the files in front of him. “Is there anything else that needs to be brought to my attention at this time?” He inquired.

“Nothing Kazekage.” Takeda bowed low.

“Thank you, dismissed.” Gaara rose from his seat and the room rose with him, bowed and began to filter out into the hallway at a leisurely pace.

She had done well, better than the Konoha hospital of their time he realized. He also realized it was because his Uncle had let her do whatever she liked, make any changes she wanted and he wondered, if he had given her the same freedom in their time if his Suna would have fared better. A second chance, for everyone...he realized, all because of her.

Gaara walked to his office, his thoughts breaking against the side of his head like waves on a shore. It had only been 3 years since his consciousness had combined, a year since the flow of time had intersected and could no longer be meddled with for him, for he was dead now in the future and time had elapsed along that plane.

Vaguely he wondered if it was the same for everyone who died then and was here now...he would never know. He suspected the only reason he knew was because he had Shukaku to tell him. Admittedly, he might never have felt the change, or if he had he would never have guessed what it was.

It was remarkable he mused as he looked out of his office window and watched his citizens walk to and fro beneath him, to be here after...being there and to know what he knew. He wondered if Sakura felt it as much of a blessing and a bother as he did. The benefit far exceeded the possibility of ignorance and yet...he couldn’t help but wonder if he would prefer ignorance some times. 

A flutter of pink caught his eye. She was walking with his Uncle. Gaara stepped forward and looked at her more closely, something had changed. He sighed...so, retirement suited the man and his wife, he could see it clearly. 

‘That doesn’t change anything’, Shukaku grumbled. 

‘It doesn’t change the way we feel but it does change how we will proceed’, Gaara observed how his Uncle kept a protective arm around Sakura’s waist and how Sakura leaned into his Uncle. Unconsciously, his sand began to shift and move under his feet. Yes, he had always been a jealous man…

“Would you like to get lunch from the market my dear, or shall we go home and see if Megumu has anything prepared for us?” Sasori walked beside his wife enjoying the feel of her muscles flexing against his arm as they moved along the sunny Suna streets.

“Home, if you don’t mind, I will need to start moving Gaara’s things from our home to the palace after lunch.” Sakura said thoughtfully.

“You know he did that for you.” She said after a moment. “Moved out of our home, he could sense the tension between us.”

“I’m sure he could, all of Suna had been able to sense the tension between us for the last six years, Sakura.” He replied blankly. 

“I suppose you’re right.” She hummed.

He knew his marriage issues hadn’t been a secret but that was all in the past. Quickly, with only the barest smirk, he twirled her around by the waist and bent her back leaning over her and kissed her deeply in front of the entrance to the market. The busy market staking his claim on her publicly, once again.

Someone clapped nearby, someone whistled appreciatively and Sakura blushed and pushed him away...laughing.

“What are you doing?” Her eyes sparkled.

Sasori reached out for her once more and drew her up alongside him continuing their walk home. “Kissing my wife in public.” He blinked at her innocently making her laugh even louder.

Long fingers drummer contemplatively against the side of his leg as he looked out of the tallest tower in the middle of Amegakure. It was raining, it was always raining in Amegakure. 

“We have secured the six tails Obito Sama.” A pretty blue haired woman bowed respectfully to the man who had stopped drumming his fingers at her voice.

“Very good Konan. Rest, you and Yahiko will leave at the end of the week for the seven tails...in fact, take Nagato with you as well, you may need him.” Obito turned from the window to watch the blue haired woman bow again, then close the door behind her.

“Two, three, four, five, six.” Obito counted out on his hands. “One, seven, eight and nine...I’ll be coming for you soon.”

Blue eyes scanned the scroll in front of him, flickered to the two men sitting beside him, then back down to the scroll. “Gaara has returned to Suna. He was attacked by the Akatsuki on his way home from the outpost, but he’s fine. They’ll be coming soon.” Naruto turned to Kakashi and Sasuke.

“Our informant tells us the Akatsuki has just captured the six tails, which leaves the one, seven, eight and nine tails.” Kakashi took the scroll from Naruto and scanned the information.

“Does Kurama have anything else to tell you?” Sasuke leaned forward and took the scroll from Kakashi so he could read it as well.

“Nothing new, but he says it’s time. We need to send word to Kumo, it’s time for B to seal his heart.” Naruto nodded to the scroll. “The one tail is already sealed into Sakura.”

“Who will you seal yours into, have you decided?” Sasuke asked.

“You, who else could protect it better than my own brother?” Naruto grinned at Sasuke’s surprise.

“The Seven tails refused, saying there was no one she would risk sealing the tailed beast’s heart into. Pity, we could have used her on our side. I thought she wanted to be friends. Oh well.” Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

Kakashi scratched his chin. “Strange really, you three, you being tailed beast vessels.”

“What’s that supposed to mean huh?” Naruto glared at the man.

“Calm down Naruto, it wasn’t a bad thing. All the tailed beasts, they seem to know everything from your time and the future, it’s just odd. You would think the jinchuuriki before you would have...felt the same.” Kakashi gave Naruto a sideways glance, the kid sure got riled up easily.

“They weren’t the reincarnations of Kaguya’s sons.” Naruto said flatly.

“Hum, you may be right.” Kakashi got up and stuffed his hands in his pockets, walking away.

“He’s different now.” Sasuke observed.

“He’s whole again.” Naruto nodded.

“Is it time yet?” Sasuke asked the blonde.

“Yeah, let’s reunite Team 7.” Naruto grinned at his best friend.

Sasuke nodded. “I wonder if she’s still annoying.”

Sakura placed the small photo of her and Gaara on his night stand. It had been taken just before he had been sent away. “You were so small.” She touched the frame with a tender finger.

“I’m no longer small, but no less infatuated with your affection now that I’ve grown.” A deep voice had her standing and turning toward the door.

“You and your Uncle, are the only ones who can sneak up on me like that.” Sakura laughed. She hadn’t been expecting him so soon. Her eyes glanced at the clock on the wall.

“I left early, I felt you here and wanted to thank you for moving my things...Ka San.” Gaara moved into the room, removed his gourd from his back and looked around to see what she had done.

“My cacti? You remembered.” He said softly moving to the round window in the wall that faced her home.

“I remember.” She smiled.

“What else do you...remember Sakura?” He turned from the window looking back into his room, at her.

“Many things Gaara.” She couldn’t bear to look at him, so she looked at the wall, the floor, her hands.

“Like how I asked you to always call me Gaara and not Kazekage Sama.” His tone was casual but his meaning was not.

“I should go. Your books are in your office. Your new robes will be delivered tomorrow and I ordered you your favorite for dinner tonight, fried liver and curry but I wasn’t sure where you wanted to eat it, in your office or at home, so let Kenta know. I remember you like to work late into the night sometimes but I wasn’t sure if…” She would have continued but he was too close and she looked up when she saw the toes of his shoes in front of her. 

“You’re rambling Sakura.” He lifted her chin with his hand and smiled into her eyes.

Something akin to panic gripped her. “I’m married now Gaara.”

“So you keep telling me.” He continued to smile. “I am aware...Ka San.”

“Temari and Kankuro should be home soon, they will be happy to see you.” She continued her rambling.

“Uncle already told me.” He watched her. “Do you not want to be alone with me...Ka San?”

She choked. “Gaara.”

“Sakura?” He stepped closer to her.

She could smell him. He smelled like the sun, like heat, like the desert...she closed her eyes, she couldn’t think…

“You still love me don’t you...Sakura?” 

His breath was hot against the side of her neck. She leaned into him, he smiled against her skin and breathed out, then in again.

“You smell just like I remember.” His lips moved against her skin.

It was so familiar…

”No.” The word almost didn’t make it out of her mouth and she flinched at how easily the word ‘Yes’ could have come from her lips instead.

“I don’t believe you.” Gaara moved closer to her, his hands falling lightly to her waist drawing her in.

“Please stop.” A whisper.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

“Do you really want me to stop Sakura?” He could feel her heart beating against his chest.

“I want to remain faithful to my husband.” She choked out.

With one slow tender open mouthed kiss under her jaw, he stepped back and away from her. Her eyes were still closed, and she barely drew in her breath. Gaara watched her closely, she was..trying...her fingers twitched, her legs were tense, she was holding herself back, her control...was admirable, he would admit. 

She wanted him.

Shukaku took over, he stepped up to her quickly forcing her back up against the wall, kissed her deeply, then disappeared into a pile of sand that moved across the floor and out of the room before she opened her eyes again.

Ryo’s eyes narrowed to slits. ‘What the hell did the young Kazekage think he was doing?’

“Sakura Sama, are you...alright?” Ryo hopped through the window of the Kazekage’s bedroom and stood before his friend.

“Ryo.” Sakura opened her eyes and touched her lips. Then, she began to cry.

“Uh, should I..get your husband for you Sakura Sama?” Ryo took a step toward the window.

“No!” Sakura almost screamed in her panic. “No, please Ryo this is just. I mean, it’s hard to...explain.”

Ryo stepped back from the window and looked at his friend with sympathy and a bit of hesitation.

“Sakura Sama. This must be...terribly difficult for you.” He couldn’t imagine how she must be feeling. He knew of course, of her past, of Gaara or Sasori and what had happened in her time.

“Is there anything I can do for you Sakura Sama?” He asked her kindly.

“Yes, there is. Please, do not breathe a word of that kiss to Sasori. You know what he will do.” She took Ryo’s hand. “Please.”

Ryo nodded. “Of course Sakura Sama.” The woman visibly relaxed before his eyes.

“Thank you Ryo.” She smiled at her friend and walked out of her son’s room.

Ryo watched her go, a worried expression on his face. ‘This is not going to end well’, he only hoped that whatever happened...she would be happy in the end.

‘You can not do that again’, Gaara argued with Shukaku. ‘There is a right way to do this’, he scolded the tanuki.

‘She didn’t push us away, she kissed us back’, Shukaku complained. ‘She still loves us’, he said with finality.

‘If you push her too far, she will run’, Gaara countered.

‘She didn’t run from us and you know she could have, you know she could have pushed us away if she had really wanted to’ Shukaku said smugly.

The raccoon was right. She did kiss him back and she didn’t run away. ‘There is a right way to do this Shukaku’, Gaara held firm.

‘Fine’, Shukaku grumbled.

Gaara stood on the edge of the palace roof looking out across his village. The blue eyed Anbu was in his room with his mother, the same Anbu that had been watching him earlier. He wondered briefly at their relationship, but discarded it almost as quickly as he had entertained it. She wouldn’t choose someone so plain. No, his only competition was her husband, his Uncle.

The Anbu jumped out of his bedroom window to the street below. Sakura walked out the front doors of the palace moments later, walking quickly across the street to her house. Gaara watched her pour herself a glass of water in the open kitchen, watched her throat move as she swallowed.

He felt their presence and was annoyed. “I do not need an Anbu guard, you are dismissed.” He spoke without turning, his eyes on Sakura.

“The council…” The Anbu began.

“Is not the Kazekage. I am, now leave.” He commanded.

He couldn’t connect it in his head, he couldn’t separate it either. Which life, which choice...he loved her but he wanted her, was it the same? He felt sick, he felt disturbed and yet...she had tasted so sweet. He wanted to taste her again and soon.

She was different, he realized. He was different. Were they too different? Was it only the combined desperation to save the world, their loved ones and the need to be close to feel something that had brought them together before? No, he knew it wasn’t. It was love. He had her love once, her devotion, her everything. He had been her first, he would be her last.

“Is everything okay my dear?” Sasori didn’t turn from his burner to look at his wife but he could feel the agitation in the air.

“Fine.” She said.

Sasori turned at her tone, vial and dropper in hand to look her over. “What has happened. Your cheeks are flushed, are you ill?” He stepped closer to her looking at her eyes for fatigue.

“I’m fine just, a bit flustered perhaps.” She admitted.

Amber eyes took in her rapidly beating pulse, her hair that was falling from it’s clasp and her forced breathing. Something had happened. “Come, let me show you what I've been working on.”

Sakura moved up to the laboratory table and looked down. “A new poison?” She thumbed through the herbs he had laid out along the counter with interest. “No, a tracker?”

Sasori smiled. “You never fail to surprise me. What gave it away?” He asked, her dropping three drops of condense chakra into the vial.

“The chakra, it isn’t yours, who's is it?” She asked, ignoring his question.

“A test subject.” He evaded her question as she had his.

“...but…” She began to question him.

“War is coming Sakura. There are less than half of the tailed beasts left. The Akatsuki will be coming soon and when they do we will need to be ready.” He set the vial down in it’s holder and picked up another adding three drops of condensed chakra to it as well.

“I thought you said you were prepared, that is what you had been doing for the last ten years.” She watched the beaker over the spirit lamp begin to simmer.

“You can never be too prepared my dear.” Sasori smirked as she snorted.

“It is a tracker, as you surmised. I will use it to track the movement of every shinobi, from every nation, no matter where they are on the continent.” He set the last vial down into its holder and turned to her.

“Is that even possible I mean...can you even do that?” She gasped at the thought.

“We’ll find out won’t we?” He kissed her on the cheek and moved to the back of his lab pulling down sterile syringes from his shelf. “Care to assist me for the first trail?”

Sakura looked from the vials to the syringes. “Who will we be testing it on?” She asked suspiciously.

“The newly graduated Genin of course.” Sasori’s smile was too sweet, too amused and she laughed.

“Of course we are.” She kissed the corner of his mouth feeling better just to be around him and picked up a syringe. 

“Let’s get going then. I don’t want to miss dinner. Kenta promised me chocolate covered mango strips for dessert.”

“I wouldn’t deprive you of your victuals dear.” He smiled. It had been a while since they had done this, worked together, experimented together. Sasori watched his wife fill the syringes slowly tapping out the air bubbles as she went. Whatever ailed her earlier slipping from her eyes as she began to hum.

“You’re beautiful Sakura.” His arm snaked around her waist, his head dropping over her shoulder nuzzling her neck. 

“For you Sasori.” She said it for him as much as herself. 

Her lips still burned from Gaara’s kiss, her fingers still ached from the strain of holding them back. She had wanted to run them through his hair as he had kissed her, wrap her legs around his waist as he...she shook her head. “Only for you.” She smiled at her husband.


	56. Chapter 56

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No Mei Allowed

_“Kaguya, it hurts.” Sakura cried silently beside the goddess._

_“Love is eternal Sakura. I warned you.” Kaguya watched the tears fall from the girl’s face beside her._

_“You asked me, if he was what I wanted and he was, he is...I didn’t know that, I thought my feelings for Gaara had...changed.” Sakura looked at the goddess through her tears unashamed._

_“To love so strongly, to be able to feel so deeply. I envy you Sakura.” Kaguya laid a hand over the girl’s._

_“I have to choose, I want to remain faithful but I know I can’t...resist him much longer he was always so...compelling and…” Her words died in her throat but the pain in her heart was gone._

_Kaguya closed her eyes and the Earth hummed around them. “Do you feel that Sakura?” Her voice was light and whimsical again._

_“Yes.” Sakura closed her eyes._

_“They are coming.” Kaguya smiled a beautiful smile, a sad smile._

_“Who is coming?” Sakura wiped the moisture from her eyes and looked around the field of flowers._

“My sons.” Kaguya turned her beautiful smile to Sakura. “Everything will be fine. Do not worry Sakura.”

_“You’ve already saved me once, you will save me again, in the end.” Kaguya rose to her feet and floated to the edge of the field looking back over her shoulder at the pink haired woman whom she had become very fond of over the years. “Follow your heart, do not deny your soul it’s due. I sent you back above all others because you’re special Sakura. There are those who heal hearts, but only you can heal the souls of the broken.”_

_“Kaguya, please wait...I don’t know what that means...I need your advice. I need you.” Sakura reached out for the goddess but she had already faded to mist and had flown away._

“I don’t know what to do.” Sakura mumbled in her sleep.

“About what Sakura?” Sasori ran his fingers down her arm and back up again twining them with her fingers and pulling her arm up over his chest.

It had been a month since Gaara’s return. A month since Sakura and he had seemed to work out most of their regrets between them. 

The mantle had been passed onto Gaara seamlessly, as expected. Enough of the younger generation remembered how he had changed before he had left for the outpost to welcome him as their new Kage. As for the older generation, there were of course many who still opposed him.

However with Sakura as his mother and Sasori as his Uncle, they dare not voice their opinions out loud, at least, not where anyone could hear them that didn’t share their own dark thoughts. Sasori had expected it, had planned on it and had planned for it. As such, he was not surprised when Ryo tapped on their bedroom window shortly after dawn that morning to inform him the ‘Rebels’, had been...detained.

“Would you like me to go with you?” Sakura rose up onto her elbows and watched him dress.

“I always want you with me.” Sasori tied his pants up and reached for a plain jounin shirt.

He had moved back into their home two weeks ago much to his pleasure and had been with her every day and night since. They had been some of the happiest moments of his life.

“I have a new poison I would like to try out.” Sakura swung her feet over their bed and stood stretching.

“I would like them to live long enough to question them, Sakura.” Sasori smirked at his wife’s face as she scrunched up her nose at him.

“How about after you question them then? Do you think these are the ones who were going to try to assassinate Gaara at his inauguration in three days?” She pulled her boots on, stood and tied her belt and pouch around her waist.

“I do.” Sasori watched her eyes darken to a startling forest green.

“How long will it take you to question them?” She tried to act innocent but he could feel her chakra moving around her.

“Not long, perhaps an hour or two depending on their answers.” He opened the door for her and they left their room hand in hand.

“Good.” She said once they were outside on the street. “My new poison is actually for tailed beasts but I would like to try it out on a few humans first to judge the dosage against regular chakra flow.” She explained her excitement.

“Tailed beasts?” Sasori inquired, his interest peaked.

“Yes, to pull them from their vessels without killing the host.” She nodded to Ryo who was waiting for them outside of the lab door per Sasori’s instructions.

“How many?” Sasori asked before entering his lab.

“Six Sasori Sama. Two of them are close to death, my apologies. It was not easy to detain them.” Ryo bowed his head.

“Not at all, thank you, you may go. Alert the Kazekage.” Sasori opened the door and ushered his wife into the lab sealing the door behind them.

“I am already aware.” Gaara was leaning against the wall beside the storage cabinet, making Sasori pull his puppet scroll from his pouch and Sakura crouch into a defensive stance.

“Gaara.” Sakura took a step forward but stopped herself. 

“Uncle.” Gaara nodded to Sasori who had slipped his scroll back into his pouch with a narrowed eye. “Ka San.” Teal eyes swept over Sakura from head to foot returning to her face with a tug at the corner of his lips.

“How did you get in here?” Sasori pulled his wife back to stand beside him, away from his nephew.

“I broke your seal and let myself in. I saw Ryo detain my assassins and wished to be a productive part of their interrogation. I recall, you tend to either work rather quickly or...very slowly Uncle.” Gaara waved a hand toward the other side of the room. “I wasn’t sure how much time I would have.”

“You broke Sasori’s protection seal.” Sakura looked from Gaara to Sasori. “That’s amazing Gaara.”

“Yes, impressive.” Sasori drawled, his demeanor covering his unease. 

If the boy could break his seals then...Sasori’s head snapped to the side where his transportation seal was hidden along the stone floor and immediately regretted his mistake...he had grown sloppy in his retirement, in his position. His nephew was much more clever than he had originally given him credit for. He would need to be more careful.

“Something...wrong Uncle?” Gaara had seen his Uncle’s eyes scan the room, fall just short of the hidden seal in the stones that he had already found, broken and resealed before they had arrived.

“No.” Sasori moved into the room drawing Sakura with him by the hand. “If you would prep them dear?”

“Of course. Maybe I could try out my other poison while we’re here.” Sakura smiled at Gaara, moving past him to the first traitor.

Ryo had already laid him out on the examination table and strapped him down with chakra suppressant ties. This was one of the more injured traitors Sakura noticed as she approached. He was also one of the more important ones.

“Takeda San. I’m very disappointed to see you here.” Sakura frowned down at the man.

Takeda’s breath was shallow and rasping. She could hear the blood and fluids in his lungs without chakra infused diagnosis. He was drawing in his own blood she surmised. Without a thought, without questioning her motives she began to heal him.

“Sa Sakura Sama, please, do not heal me only to be tortured by that monster.” Takeda choked on his own words, his own efforts to speak, a thin stream of blood fell from the corner of his mouth as he turned his head to look at her.

“Which monster are you referring to Takeda San? My husband or my son?” She asked him casually, as though they were speaking of the up and coming festival.

“You...are...not...that monster’s...mother...angel. Nor...should you...have...ever...been his wife.” Takeda’s hand rose, twitching and shaking with effort to point at Sasori, who looked bored at Takeda’s display of hatred.

“Takeda San, you are mistaken. They are not monsters. This is unfortunate.” She looked over her shoulder at her husband. “I actually liked him.”

Sasori grimaced. “I will take over from here dear, see to the others.” With a gentle shove, he moved her to the side and stood over Takeda’s bed looking down with cold eyes.

Gaara stepped up to his Uncle’s side, but his eyes followed Sakura. She was bothered. He knew she had tortured before, experimented on and used prisoners and traitors alike for her medical curiosities but she had never used someone she had considered a friend for such a thing before.

...but his Uncle had.

“Now then Takeda San, I assume you know why you are here?” Sasori asked the man pleasantly.

“Of course.” Takade said just as pleasantly, Sasori was pleased. 

It had always annoyed him when they cried or begged for their lives...it was pointless and it wasted time. Acceptance was much less annoying and more befitting of their status as shinobi in his mind.

“Excellent. Then let us begin.” Sasori smiled down at the man releasing his chakra to the tips of his fingers slicing a clear line through the man's chest and spreading back both clothing and bloodied tissue.

Gaara watched Sakura cut open the shirt of the next man, a man he didn’t recognize. “Excuse me Uncle.” Gaara left his Uncle’s side to look more closely at the man Sakura was working on.

“I do not recognize this man, do you Ka San?” Gaara for the last month continued to call Sakura Ka San...in the presence of his Uncle.

“No, and that is what is bothering me. It means he isn’t a Sand shinobi.” She continued to cut the fabric away from the man’s chest and lower abdomen.

“Which means, he is either a missing nin or from one of our allied villages.” Gaara finished her thought for her.

“Exactly.” She glanced up at him quickly, then down again.

“You don’t have to watch. I remember, this was never an interest of yours.” She said quietly.

“It was never an interest of yours, particularly as I recall.” He watched her hands move over the man’s chest healing his wounds in mock mercy.

“No, remember I told you about Ino and I, how we were collaborating on a new poison, like a truth serum?” She said easily as she healed the nin under her hands.

“Ah yes, pardon, I do remember, you said it would be gentle enough as not to scar them but forceful enough to make them speak. I also recall you telling me I would not approve for reasons other than...torture.” Gaara smirked as a deep red flushed her cheeks.

“You hid it well, but you used to be quite jealous Gaara.” She continued to blush but had removed her hands from the nameless nin.

“I still am.” Gaara watched her eyes move to Sasori then back to him. 

“Gaara, it’s not…” She began.

“Do not worry Ka San.” He smiled at her, deceivingly so. “I will not be jealous if you choose to use your poison on this nin, but can you say the same for my Uncle?”

Sasori bent over Takeda. His concentration wanting. He could hear them speaking behind him of course...and so could Takeda. With two quick hands signs he cast a silencing jutsu over each individual in the room for their protection enabling only someone right next to you to hear your conversation.

“You’re going to lose her. She was always too …...good for you. What made that angel ……..choose you is beyond me. You and that other monster…...your brother Rasa, defiled her, poisoned her reputation. Look at what you have …….her doing, she is tainted now …….because of you, your line…...even the boy…..disgusting, your whole line is…... filth.” Takeda spit out at him in between gasps.

“Who is the shinobi my wife is working on?” Sasori already knew the man wouldn’t talk.

“Go to hell Akasuna.” Takeda spit at him again.

“I don’t believe in hell.” Sasori leaned over and whispered into the man’s ear as he broke each one of his ribs by hand.

“...but, if there is a hell, you’ll be going there first.” Sasori wrapped his deft fingers around the man’s heart...and squeezed.

Sasori stood to find the eyes of both his nephew and his wife upon him. “He didn’t have anything useful to say.”

Sakura nodded and continued to hook up the IV to the man she was working on.

“What are you using my dear?” Sasori left Takeda too cool on the table stepping over to his wife and nephew.

“Uh well, it’s a poison I had thought up during the war, our war.” She waved her hand in between herself and Gaara.

“It uh stimulates the nervous system and uh...the chemicals in one's amygdala for pleasure.” She blushed. “It was my friend Ino’s idea.” 

“It releases almost twice the amount of dopamine into the pituitary gland.” She reddened further.

“I see.” Sasori shifted a bit on his feet, his eyes sliding to his nephew who hadn’t moved a muscle but whose eyes looked a bit...glazed.

“Continue dear. Let’s see your creation.” Sasori checked the drip and watched as his wife slid the needle into the man’s arm.

“You might uh, want to hide or uh, make your presence undetectable?” She raised an eyebrow at them.

Gaara coughed and moved to the side out of the man’s line of sight and suppressed his chakra even more than it had already been suppressed. Sasori kissed his wife on the cheek and did the same.

“Did you know she had such a thing in her possession?” Gaara asked his Uncle quietly so that only he could hear.

Sasori shook his head. “Did you?” 

Gaara shook his head. “Sakura and the Yamanaka clan head discussed it several times but only in theory. They both agreed sex and pleasure were the best forms of torture for both men and women. Sakura argued with Ibiki Morino, the head of T&I at the time, that she could make an enemy nin spill every secret right down to his childhood with her...theoretic drug.”

“I have no doubt.” Sasori watched his wife unbutton the top button of her shirt and pull her hair from it’s elastic binding and ruffle it.

“What does she think she’s doing…” Gaara hissed taking a step forward.

Sasori placed a hand on his arm making Gaara look down and then up again in agitation.

“Let her.” Sasori said calmly. “She knows what she’s doing.”

“You’re going to let her ...seduce him?” Gaara glared at his Uncle.

“I let her speak to you.” Sasori didn’t turn his head and look at his nephew but he felt his posture stiffen and straighten. “I trust her.”

‘Fool’, Shukaku chuckled. ‘Quiet’, Gaara warned but smiled nonetheless at the tanuki.

Sasori and Gaara both stopped thinking whatever wayward thoughts were running though their heads when they heard the man on the table groan in pain.

“Shhh it’s okay, here let me heal that for you.” Sakura’s voice snapped both of their heads up and to her face. She was using the voice that they both knew she used in...the bedroom.

Sakura untied the nameless shinobi without a single glance to the corner of the room. Sasori made the hand signs and threw up a decent genjutsu over himself and Gaara as well as the other near death shinobi in the room.

“What, where am I? Who are you?” The man asked moving slowly, looking around the room, his hand going to his pouch.

“It’s alright don’t worry. I found you. It seems your friends and you got into a bit of trouble with the Kazekage.” Sakura pressed her healing chakra into the man’s chest, healing the ribs and damaged lung she had left injured earlier for this purpose.

Sasori and Gaara watched the man’s posture relax as Sakura healed him, watched as sort of sluggish awareness filled his eyes as he looked at the woman healing him.

“You’re, you’re her, you’re that woman, that fell from the sky, the angel from the stars.” The man said with a touch of awe in his voice.

Sakura nodded, a sad look upon her face. ‘So, he thinks I’m from the heaven’s?’, she could use that to her advantage.

“I am.” She said sadly.

“You’re his mother, the Kazekage’s mother and Sasori of the Red Sand’s wife.” The nameless nin tried to pull his arm from her grasp. His head was fuzzy, his thoughts jumbled and he shook his head.

“Names, all designed to hide the truth.” Sakura smiled sadly at the man, her eyes downcast, her shoulders slumped like Ino had taught her so many years ago.

Sasori looked at the bag hanging from it’s stand, a quarter, a quarter of her drug was in his system, was it enough?

“You aren’t Akasuna’s wife?” The man asked her suspiciously, bringing a hand to his head as if he couldn’t really remember.

“I am.” Sakura admitted. “Not by choice, he...forced me.” She turned away from him then, picking up a soldier pill, one of the ones she had taken from his pouch.

“Here, I found this in your pouch, I didn’t have any down here so I can’t give you one of my own. Mine are much better, but at least you’ll be familiar with this one.” She handed him the pill.

“Why are you here, what do you mean he forced you?” The man asked, taking the pill and to both Gaara and Sasori’s surprise ate it, without so much as inspecting it. His focus was entirely on Sakura...

“He...desired me. I’m a very good medic and Suna needed a medic so he...kept me. He uses me...to heal his shinobi and to...for...other things.” Sakura swallowed visibly and looked away from the man as if she couldn’t bear for him to look at her, as though she were, ashamed.

Sasori almost snorted. Gaara was staring at Sakura like he had never seen her before. He looked at his Uncle who begrudgingly nodded. ‘Yes, she’s good’, they silently agreed.

“Let me help you. We didn’t know, we thought, we thought you were one of them angel, let me help you.” The man took her hand in his and pulled her closer to him sitting up on the examination bed and moving his legs slowly over the side.

Sakura stepped in between the man’s legs, raised her head and blinked twice, her long pink lashes were moist, outlining the green of her eyes in the most becoming manner. Sasori and Gaara both heard the man’s audible gasp at her beauty and would have laughed if they hadn’t been clenching their fists.

“You would do that for me?” Sakura asked him, looking up into his eyes.

The nameless shinobi swallowed hard and nodded, pulling her closer to him. Sakura smiled and placed her hand on his arm. The man’s whole body trembled at the slight touch. Sasori looked at the bag, half gone…

“...but where would you take me and how would we escape, I’ve tried to run before and he’s caught me and...punished me.” Her head dropped to her chest and her shoulders shook as though in fear.

“To the northwest, to the Land of Demons, that’s where I’m from. I would protect you.” He pulled her to his chest and kissed her lips, his hands moving up the back of her shirt.

Gaara jerked forward but Sasori stopped him, pointing to her hands behind the shinobi’s back. Gaara ground his teeth, she was waving them away. Sasori narrowed his eyes but didn’t move and held his nephew in place.

“We have over four thousand shinobi waiting over the border, just outside of the Land of Fangs. You’ll be safe there I promise.” He broke the kiss, his hands moving to the front of her shirt unbuttoning one button at a time.

“Sasori is strong and the Kazekage is even stronger.” Sakura tilted her neck back as the man lay kisses along her jaw, pushing her shirt back and off of her shoulders.

“This is enough.” Gaara growled and moved his hand to send a stream of sand at the man.

“Wait! She is getting useful information from him.” Sasori shot chakra string out from his fingers to bind his nephew. ‘Stronger than me’, Sasori scoffed. He and his wife were going to have a talk after this.

Sakura cursed her men, she felt their chakra move and felt the nameless shinobi jerk to turn his head...she moaned. The man’s head snapped back to her tugging her chest wraps from her body and letting them fall to the floor. He was trembling with desire from head to foot.

“Ungh.” Sakura moaned as his mouth latched onto one of her nipples hard.

“I’ll protect you, come with me angel. You don’t belong here.” The man pulled at the ties of his pants pulling his cock free and lifted her up onto his lap to straddle him.

“Just you, just the Land of Demons, no one else is working with you? That’s impossible, you can’t protect me.” Her head rolled back as his hand slipped behind the elastic of her panties to finger her sex. Sakura ran her fingers up his chest and over his shoulders to his back.

“So wet.” He moaned into her neck. “We aren’t alone. I want to, can I...fuck you’re dripping.””

Withdrawing his fingers, both Gaara and Sasori saw she was indeed wet. The man licked his finger obscenely, lifted her up over his cock rubbing against the fabric of her pants. With his hand to her breast and his other on her back holding her in place he licked and sucked at her breasts. “You’re so beautiful.” He moaned.

“Who else will protect me, who else is working with you.” Sakura moved and rocked up against him panting in his ear.

Gaara swallowed and shifted his feet. Sasori’s fingers twitched and they both pretended not to notice one another as they continued to watch Sakura move her body against the man, watched him lick and suck on her breasts as she moaned out loud.

“Konoha.” The man lifted her up, pulled her panties aside and slammed her down over his cock, thrusting up hard into her.


	57. Chapter 57

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No Mei Allowed

Sakura screamed, she hadn’t been ready for him to move like that, hadn’t been expecting him to…’Konoha’, she had been distracted…

The man held her body to his moving inside of her. She pressed chakra into her palms and tried to push him away but her chakra was...melting? His eyes glowed and he held her firm, moving against her. “So tight.” He moaned out loud.

Sasori stood perfectly still watching with a look of mild disgust on his face.

“Help me Gaara!” She hissed as the nameless nin lifted her up and down over his cock, pushing into her moaning loudly. “He’s hurting me!”

Sand rose up around them in a wave and crashed over both Sakura and the man on the examination table knocking them apart and to the floor. Sakura scrambled to her feet.

Gaara shot a stream of sand out around the still twitching shinobi and wrapped him in it so that not even his face was visible. “Sand coffin.”

Blood exploded through the sand and spattered against the walls, and the tables.

“Sakura.” Gaara turned to her, his eyes hard, his chakra snapping around him like lightning. “What the hell were you thinking letting him get that far with you!”

Sasori started to move toward his wife, a look of both amusement and outrage on his face.

Gaara was beside her before Sasori, picking her up in his arms, his sand swirled around them and they disappeared. Sasori stood alone, fists clenched searching but...he couldn’t sense them anywhere. With unprecedented control he calmly walked out the door and home to wait for her.

‘Let her explain it to the boy alone’, Sasori thought to himself as he stepped into the shower.

Sakura struggled in Gaara’s arms as the sand swirled and fell around them. They were in his bedroom in the palace, she realized. 

“It’s okay Gaara, put me down let me explain.” She tried to push him back and away from her so she could stand.

“No.” He growled holding her closer, his arms tightening around her. “How, how could you put yourself in such a dangerous situation and let him...let him…” He was so angry he was choking.

“It wasn’t real Gaara.” She said into his neck where he had her head pressed to his skin.

She struggled for air. “It wasn’t real Gaara. Do you really think I would go that far?” The disappointment was clear in her voice, as well as the humor.

“What? You mean, but how? I was watching the whole time.” Gaara allowed her to pull herself back and away from him, only now realizing...she was still fully clothed, the buttons on her shirt only half undone and falling off her shoulder to one side.

Relief washed over him, then anger. “Why didn’t you tell us? Why did you let me think he was really ...touching you?”

“I thought you would know. Sasori did. Do you really think Sasori would stand by passively and let someone kiss me, touch me like that while he watched?” She laughed at the thought. “He would have killed him instantly from the first kiss.”

“When did you cast your genjutsu?” Gaara understood now, the man hadn’t even kissed her.

“When I blinked, the moisture in my eyes caught the light in the room and I cast it with my eyes. I got the idea in our war, from the Uchiha.” She smiled a small smile. “It was all in your head Gaara.”

“You wanted me to see you with...with another man?” He choked again.

“I had no control over what you saw. I didn’t think you would let it get that far, I thought you would have broken it. I only realized you hadn’t when I felt your chakra spike and move, but by then I was too far into my interrogation to warn you or tell you.” She shrugged.

“Sasori didn’t tell you?” She frowned.

“No.” Gaara said flatly. “He only restrained me, kept me from going to you...he knew then.”

Sakura saw the disappointment on his face. He was disappointed in himself for not realizing something that Sasori had easily recognized.

“You were gone for ten years Gaara, Sasori even though it's been...difficult has been here with me, no doubt if you had stayed you would have recognized it before him.” She cupped his cheek reassuringly.

Gaara brought his hand up to hers. “That wasn't it. I should have recognized it, but I was too...distraught at what I had already seen to dispel the genjutsu. The thought of you with...someone else is too...it makes me sick Sakura.”

“I’m sorry Gaara.” She said sincerely. “This is..hard for me too. Being here with you and being married to Sasori is...difficult.”

“Why did you marry him, knowing that...I mean why didn’t you wait for me to…” He didn’t know how to say it, how to word it.

“For you to grow up and become the man I fell in love with?” She laughed. “You called me mother Gaara, I didn’t think I was going to be able to go back to our time. I had to let you go, to remain sane.”

“Sane?” He asked, kissing the palm of her hand.

“You have no idea how tormented I was. I was here with you and you were, a child Gaara. You would climb up into my bed and lay your head against my neck and breathe out against my skin and it was so familiar and so...disturbing for me. It broke my heart. I missed you so much.” She bent her head, she couldn’t bear to look at him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t understand what Shukaku was telling me back then. If I did I would have...maybe left sooner to come back to you as an adult and maybe…” No one was to blame, and yet he felt…

“I’m here now.” He pulled her into a hug, laying his head against her shoulder, his breath warm on her neck. “...and I’m not a little boy anymore and I do not look at you as my mother, do you still look at me as your son Sakura?”

“How can I?” She laughed and he laughed with her. “I am married though.”

“You were with me first. During the war, I asked you remember, I asked you to come visit me in Suna. I was going to ask you to marry me.” He paused, he could feel her heart racing in her chest, her pulse quicken under his thumb. “If I had asked you before I lost you, would you have said yes?”

This wasn’t happening. She didn’t want to hear this. “It doesn’t matter now Gaara.”

“It does matter Sakura. Tell me love, if I had asked you to marry me before you disappeared, would you have said yes?” He waited.

“Yes.” She whispered.

Gaara closed his eyes and breathed in through his mouth and out through his nose. “I still love you. Do you...still love me?”

“Yes...but…” 

Her whole body was lifted into the air with his sand and set down gently on his bed. The grains moved over her skin gently pulling the rest of her buttons from their holes and sliding her shirt off of her shoulders.

“Gaara wait.” She tried to push his sand away.

“I never stopped loving you. I searched for you for days before the next battle. It drove me mad not being able to find you.” He moved onto the bed with her kissing her slowly, tasting her lips and breathing in her familiar scent.

“It wasn’t until after the next battle that Shukaku made the connection with you, months after I had lost you. His heart, you had him seal his heart with yours.” He laid her back down on the bed, his hands in her hair, his lips moving over her mouth. “I knew you were alive...somewhere.”

“I never stopped loving you. I was so lonely without you but Gaara, please wait, stop.” She moved under him, trying to make him understand.

“My Uncle.” He lay on her, his head on her chest. “I know. Am I too late? Has he taken my place?”

She felt horrible, guilt racked her body. “This is so unfair.” She whispered, her fingers sifting through his hair as he lay still upon her chest.

“I thought I had lost you, so I moved on Gaara. You have to understand, I thought...I didn’t think we would ever be here again, like this.” She loved him, but she loved her husband more. “It’s too late for us Gaara. I’m sorry.”

Gaara nodded. “I understand I had just hoped that...maybe...I’m sorry.” He rose up onto his elbows and looked at her. “If he hurts you, if you’re not happy with him...I’m here. There is no one for me, but you.”

“You can’t do that, you can’t put that on me. Find someone Gaara, you’re a very handsome man, you’ll find someone.” She tried to smile at him, tried not to think of him with someone else. It hurt too much...she still loved him, but there was no future with him, for them here in the past, their new present, there was only Sasori for her.

“I should go.” She pushed him off of herself gently with a small apologetic smile.

“I meant it, Sakura. The only one for me is you. I don’t want anyone else.” He watched her button her shirt back up, turn and jump out his bedroom window.

Shukaku growled and paced inside his head.

“I’ll wait, this is enough for now. You’re alive and with luck, there won’t even be a war this time. I’ll wait.” He told himself, Shukaku and the wall in his room.

“He didn’t know it was a genjutsu.” Sakura leaned against the wall of their rounded bedroom, the ladder drawn up and locked behind her.

“I assumed as much by his tell tale reaction.” Sasori watched his wife walk across their room to join him on their bed. 

“He still loves you.” Sasori didn’t feel the need or the desire to elaborate. It was clear from her expression she knew what kind of love he was referring to.

“I know. I reminded him that you are my husband, he understands.” She lay her head in his lap, stretching out across their bed like a cat, relaxing at his touch.

“Does he?” Sasori couldn’t help but grin with a small spike of satisfaction, so, she had chosen him after all. Solace.

“Yes, we just spoke of it, openly. He understands.” She closed her eyes enjoying the way his fingers combed her hair out and over her shoulder.

Sasori didn’t believe for even a moment, he didn’t even entertain the thought that his nephew understood. He had known him as a possessive child, possessive of his mother to the point of obsession, but he would let it go, for now, for her.

“Of course dear.” Her hair was smooth and silky between his fingers.

“That is one hell of a drug dear.” He laughed darkly. “...and one hell of a genjutsu. However did you combine the two, to extend not only to your subject, but to others in the room as well?”

“When I would visit Konoha for their medical program I would train with Itachi in my off time. Whenever I wasn't giving a poisons or antidote class, I was training in advanced genjutsu. Before the war, when I had first become a Genin, Kakashi sensei told me I had a natural affinity for genjutsu but I never trained in it.” She smiled.

“In my time, Itachi was part of the Akatsuki, as I told you, like you were and I never had a genjutsu teacher. He and Shisui were said to be the best in their clan, Shisui’s mangekyou is said to rival that of Madara Uchiha’s.” She smirked.

“You minx...and here I thought I knew everything there was to know about you.” He smiled, pleased that she could still surprise him.

“I laced my chakra with the poison so it would circulate through his system, then I pushed my chakra into my eyes and had the genjutsu reflect off the moisture against the fall of my lashes. When he looked up into my eyes, I simply looped the chakra together and cast a genjutsu over him, he never stood a chance against me after that.” She turned her head in his lap and looked at him.

“Neither did I dear.” He pulled her up and over him by the arms. “From the first moment I looked into your eyes, I knew you were the only one for me.”

Sakura laughed. “I didn’t even have to put you under a genjutsu.”

“I would never trade real coin for counterfeit dear, never.” His hand fell to her head where it rested against his chest. 

“Was it...too much? My creation?” She asked him.

“No, but kami woman, you are more dangerous than I ever gave you credit for.” He chuckled again, his amusement making her head vibrate.

“Good.” She smiled and rubbed little circles with her fingers against his leg.

“I think though, I would prefer you to use uh...your other poisons next time.” He admitted.

Sakura laughed. “Jealous Sasori?”

“I prefer to call it, possessive.” He wouldn’t deny it and he wasn’t ashamed. She belonged to him and they both knew it.

“Konoha Sasori.” Sakura said after a time.

“I heard.” He nodded.

“Do you think it’s true what he said, that there are thousands of enemy shinobi just over the border of the Land of Fangs?” 

“It is a possibility. The other more distant lands might feel threatened by the five great nations joining forces and might think preventative measures are required.” He said thoughtfully. “They would have to pass over the Land of Claws to get to us, or go around it. We are allied with all of the smaller nations along our border.” He explained.

“I thought we were friendly with the Land of Demon’s though after helping them, oh, I just realized, that hadn’t happened yet.” She sat up. “In my time we helped a young priestess there, well Naruto and a team did. She had to reseal the demon Moryo there.”

“I have heard of that shrine. I was not aware the current priestess had a daughter.” Sasori hummed at this new information. He took great pains to know what was going on in the world around him, and he had heard nothing of a new priestess in the Land of Demons.

“I think her name was…” Sakura pursed her lips in thought. “Shion. She is said to be able to predict one’s death.”

“Really, interesting.” Sasori would need to look into this.

“I do not want to believe Konoha is involved with this. It doesn’t make sense, why would they secretly ally themselves with the Land of Demons?” She thought of Itachi and all of the old and new friends she had made in Konoha...it didn’t make sense.

“Poisons like genjutsu are not always fool proof dear. There is a possibility that last part was a lie. It was right before he uh took you.” Sasori didn’t think Konoha was involved but he wasn’t going to rule anything out just yet. One couldn’t be too careful.

Tap Tap Tap

Sakura looked over at their bedroom window to see Karasu looking in at them. Sasori scowled.

“I do not like that crow. I particularly don’t like him looking into our bedroom window Sakura.” Sasori had made his dislike for her summons very clear over the years. In fact it had been one of the many sore spots between them. Now though, she thought as she rose from their bed to open the window for her summons, his words didn’t seem to bite as much as they had in the past...when Gaara had been gone.

Sasori glared openly at the bird as it hopped from the sill onto his wife’s arm and moved up to her shoulder to nuzzle her cheek while it’s beady eyes stared at him defiantly, unblinkingly. The damned thing could see past seals, genjutsu and minor protection jutsu. He was a nuisance as far as Sasori was concerned.

“The Hokage is here, with her team.” Karasu nipped her ear affectionately flying back out the window.

Sakura closed and locked the window. “Shall we go greet them?” She asked her husband.

“I suppose one of us should. You go dear. I’m sure they will be pleased to see you. I can feel the nine tail’s energy from here and I know that if I try I can probably hear that loud mouth host of his as well.” Sasori rose from the bed, stretched, kissed her cheek and climbed down the stairs of their bedroom to the next floor.

Since Tsunade Senju had been named the fourth Hokage, Sakura had been going back and forth from Suna to Konoha more and more. Naruto and Gaara had been conversing through summons, scroll and biju for some time and it only seemed natural to tell the Hokage once she took office about their...situation.

“I’ll make sure Kenta knows there will be more joining us for dinner in the great palace hall, go greet your friends dear.” Sasori smiled kindly at his wife.

It was then she felt them, the familiar chakra signatures of her old team and mentor. “Shisou! Sasuke, Naruto...Kakashi!” Her face glowed as she raced from her home to greet them at the gate.

Gaara watched her from his bedroom window. It would be nice to see Naruto again. It had been...quite some time and he wondered, would everyone get along now, in this time. Sasuke never left the Leaf here, Naruto wasn’t shunned like he had been in their other time, like him, he had gained the respect of his village sooner and with much better results. All because of Sakura and her efforts to calm the mistakes of the past by communicating with Itachi Uchiha.

They knew so much more now, had made so many changes to the timeline between the ten of them. He smiled to himself as he saw pink clash with blonde brighter than the sun. Who knew what the future would bring...who knew if they could really avoid the war they all hoped to prevent...


	58. Chapter 58

_“So, Itachi died in my time and he has his memories back.” Sakura looked off into the distance toward Konoha. ‘Good’, she thought. ’I could use some help with this’._

_“Karasu, tell Itachi my plan, let me know what he thinks, if he thinks we should move forward and ask him...if his brother and Naruto are aware of the, situation.” Sakura pet Karasu on the head briefly before he flew back out into the desert sun, East toward Konoha._

_Sakura unfurled the scroll in her hand once more and re read it._

_My memories have returned, how unpleasant and yet illuminating. It was true, everything you told me was true. My entire clan is in your debt. We need a plan, a plan to save the world._

_Kakashi remains fragmented. I have a theory. I was there, I recall. He was alive when I died, perhaps, perhaps in time he too will recall. It is all conjecture but the fact remains...I remember, and others will too._

**One week later…**

_Sasuke and Naruto do not seem to remember but they are only 10 years old, perhaps...later, the memories of their past lives will come to them, they are after all, Indra and Asura reincarnated._

_I believe it is connected to them, all of this is connected to the Otsutsuki clan. When one dies in our time, they come to reconnect with themselves in this time, but it seems only if they had a direct connection to either Asura or Indra. It is speculation, there are not enough confirmed cases._

_‘Others will too’, she was sure of that but, how many and why some and not others. Sasori didn’t remember her, Rasa didn’t know and they died long before she had been sent back in time. Why her, why them and who else? ‘Perhaps the timeline starts and stops at one and two points’, she speculated...and anything before or after is null?_

_Itachi knew, ...she could only hope that Sasuke and Naruto had ‘awakened’ as well. ‘Would Gaara’, she looked north and west toward the outpost...she hoped not, for his sanity as well as her own._

Sakura looked at the faces across the table from her and pushed her thoughts of the past behind her. They were both familiar and not familiar at the same time. Naruto had written her almost as soon as he had received word from Itachi that , he knew. 

He had been unaware that she was aware of her past and future self, that he had been dying for over a year now to tell her, to see her...until Itachi had approached both he and Sasuke...his letter had been stained with dried tears. She had cried when she had read it. He had told her everything that had happened after she had ‘left’, how Obito Uchiha had been posing as Madara and had thrown the world into chaos for his own selfish desires.

He had written to her about the Infinite tsukuyomi and how even he, Madara had been fooled by the Rabbit goddess, that Black Zetsu had, for centuries plotted out every step, every move for their own selfish means.

Naruto looked back at her, his signature grin on his face. “It’s good to see you again Sakura.”

She couldn’t stop the tears.

“I see you still enjoy crying at every little thing.” Sasuke droned, but his lips twitched giving his true feelings away.

Sakura’s eyes flickered to Tsunade who nodded to her.

“They told me everything you know.” Her eyes flickered to her Yin seal on her apprentice’s head. “I still can’t believe it sometimes when I look at you.”

_“What?” Tsunade looked from Kakashi to Itachi in disbelief._

_“During the fourth great shinobi war, your apprentice Sakura Haruno was thrown back in time. You know her as, the Angel of Suna.” Kakashi said calmly, again._

_“Sakura is my…” It made perfect sense when she stopped to think about it. “Her monstrous strength, her Yin seal...her healing…” Tsunade’s face split into a wide smile._

_“All from you.” Kakashi nodded to the new Hokage._

_“Tell me everything.” Tsunade sat back in her chair and tented her fingers on her desk in front of her._

_...and they did._

Gaara’s eyes moved around the room landing on Naruto. “We interrogated an enemy shinobi from the Land of Demons who told us Konoha was working with them to take over Suna. We have decided that this information is false, a flaw to Sakura’s...new interrogation tactic.” Gaara’s eyes slid sideways to the woman sitting beside him.

Sasori snorted and Sakura blushed.

Shisui sat back in his chair, a lopsided grin on his face, arm thrown over the back of his chair behind him. “We heard the same thing about Suna.”

“We also, ignored it.” Tsunade interjected with a pointed look at Gaara who nodded his understanding.

Sasori scanned the faces of the room with bored uncommitted eyes, his mind racing...so, someone was trying to turn all of the five great nations...against one another...clever.

“Whoever is behind this is clearly unaware of your unique connections.” Sasori raised a perfect red eyebrow to the table.

“Clearly.” Sasuke gave the Puppet master a narrowed eye.

“My poison was not flawed.” She gave Gaara a gimlet eye. “You just didn’t like watching my genjutsu play out.

Naruto looked from Sakura to Gaara. He knew of course of their relationship during the war, and knew of their...connection here, now.

Sasuke snorted again, drawing the eye of Sasori.

“We must assume.” Sasori dismissed the younger Uchiha. “That the other nations have been...misled in the same manner.”

“I will send out an official statement and inquiry.” Gaara rose from the table, nodded and left the room.

“We will see if there are as many troops as the nameless shinobi claims.” Sasori sat back in his chair.

“...and if there are?” Tsunade looked at the Poison Master with interest.

“I will go and eliminate them. I find retirement doesn’t quite suit me.” Sasori caught his wife’s eye. “Perhaps you’d like to...assist me my dear?”

“You know I do.” Sakura smiled at her husband.

“I wouldn’t mind going as well, if you think there’s enough for all of us?” Shisui looked at Itachi who nodded.

“It’s settled then. We’ll wait for the Kazekage’s scouting team to send word.” Tsunade sat back in her chair, her eyes falling on Sakura once again.

“So I have you to thank for my title.” Tsunade smiled at her ‘apprentice’.

“You do?” Sakura said with some surprise.

“After Naruto here.” Tsunade waved to Naruto who grinned. “Told his dad about the ‘future’, Minato declined the position, so they offered it to me.”

“...and you took it?” Sakura was surprised, Naruto had told her in their time that Tsunade hadn’t wanted to take on the role of Hokage, that the only reason she had done so was because of their battle with Kabuto and Orochimaru.

“Hindsight is 20/20 kid.” Tsunade laughed lightly.

“I think we’re all forgetting something very important here.” Sasuke broke up their happy moment.

“What’s that?” Naruto asked.

“The Akatsuki.” Sasuke turned to his brother. “Yahiko is alive, he didn’t die like he did in our time, so who is the leader now, is it Obito or is it Yahiko, we still don’t know.”

Itachi nodded. “True. The real question we must ask ourselves though is...what is their objective, is it still world peace or is it the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and then what of Kaguya’s revival as Black Zetsu had planned?”

Sasori looked at his wife. It seemed in their time of separated peace, she had left out quite a bit...and he wasn’t pleased…

“They’re collecting the tailed beasts so it has to be Obito right?” Naruto looked around the room.

“Not necessarily Naruto. Nagato had originally wanted the tailed beasts captured to eliminate the wars that surrounded them, to take away the ultimate weapons of the shinobi nations...for peace.” Itachi said slowly while he considered the other possibilities.

“If the goddess wants Sakura to heal her, it means that time and space do not affect her, she is still injured even if the fourth great shinobi war has yet to come to pass.” Sasori said clearly, drawing all attention to himself.

“If she moved along the same timeline, she wouldn’t need to be healed.” Itachi nodded, agreeing with Sasori’s reasoning.

“So then, wait, what does that even mean, does she need to be healed or not?” Naruto looked at Sakura who was biting her lips and looking down at her hands.

“I think...she does, sooo…” She frowned, not quite sure what to think.

“So, we need to find a way to get Sakura to her world, her dimension.” Itachi said simply...but it was anything but simple.

“...and just how are we supposed to do that?” Tsunade asked.

“Sasuke had the rinnegan but he doesn’t now, so he can’t do it.” Naruto looked at his best friend.

“...but Pein does, or Nagato I mean.” Naruto looked at Sasuke, then Sakura.

“We need to find Nagato.” Kakashi said.

“You’ve got to be freaking kidding me…” Sakura moaned.

“Don’t worry Sakura, we can do it!” Naruto smiled at her, giving her a thumbs up making her groan again.

‘He did it before right, he can do it again’, she tried to tell herself. Only this time she hoped very much that he wouldn’t have to wait for Nagato to take out all of Konoha to convince him.

Gaara’s inauguration went as smoothly as anyone could expect an event of that magnitude to go. Per his request, the festival was small...if one considered all of Suna small. Three of the five Kage’s were present, Gaara was pleased.

“My scouts tell me that there is a small army of shinobi outside of the border of Claws but they do not appear to be amassing anymore support, they are still and immobile as though they are waiting for someone for something.” Gaara told Sakura and Sasori over breakfast the day after his inauguration.

“Someone or something.” Sakura tapped her finger on her tea cup. “Like word from Obito?” She guessed.

“Have you heard any word from Naruto or Sasuke?” Sasori asked his nephew patting his wife on the leg under the table.

“Not yet, but it has only been one day.” Gaara watched his Uncle…

“Mmm yes.” Sasori picked up his chopsticks and broke his rice up taking a small bit between them and chewing slowly.

“They’ll find him.” Sakura was confident.

“I know you wished to go with them Sakura, but I feel you’re needed at home more.” Gaara tried to apologize to her again. The truth was, even if he had accepted she was with his Uncle and not him...he still didn’t want her out of his sight, much less out of the village.

“I understand.” She laid a hand over her husband’s under the cover of the table squeezing lightly. “If they find him though, and if...Obito is the leader of the Akatsuki...I’m going to them. I want to be there. I deserve to be there.”

Gaara’s mouth tightened just a bit, but it was noticeable.

“You can’t stop me.” Sakura met his eyes and refused to look away.

A small smile curled his lips. “Of course not. You didn’t listen to me during the war even though I was the Commander, why listen to me now that I’m merely the Kazekage.” He watched her cheeks flush.

“That’s, this isn’t the same thing.” She blushed a deeper shade of red.

“Isn’t it?” Gaara continued to watch the red creep up her neck with a sort of satisfied interest.

“Gaara.” Sakura said, his name slowly, in warning.

With one quick look at his Uncle, he nodded and sat back in his chair. “I was only teasing you Sakura. Laugh, it was a joke.” He used her words, words she had said to him many times before in their time during the war when she would meet him in his tent to cheer him up or just to sit with him while he worked.

Sasori sighed. ‘Would the boy just leave it be’, he almost rolled his eyes. She had made her choice, she had chosen him, not his nephew.

Word came three days later…

”They’ve found Nagato.” Gaara told her.

“Where is he?” Sakura looked up at the Kazekage from behind her office desk in the hospital.

“Amegakure.” Gaara moved into the room and sat down in a chair across from her.

“Is he, did they...I mean, what else did Naruto say?” She stood up from behind her desk and leaned forward clearly excited.

“They found him but haven’t approached him yet. I believe they are waiting to see if Obito shows himself.” Gaara smoothed down the front of his robes avoiding her eye.

It had been a long time since her and Gaara had been a couple but she hadn’t forgotten his tells. “What aren’t you telling me Gaara?” She almost growled.

Teal eyes flickered up to green, a small smile at the corner of his mouth. “Naruto wants to talk to Nagato first, try to sway him like he did before in our time but Sasuke...wants to take his rinnegan and use it himself...to send you to Kaguya’s dimension.”

“That would…” Sakura couldn’t believe it. What the hell was Sasuke thinking.

“Cause a war...yes.” Gaara looked out the window behind her head. “It seems, some things don’t change.”

His eyes fell back to her face. “While others...do.”

“Gaara.” Sakura sat back down behind her desk. She had done her best to avoid him as much as she could, for both of their sake.

“Sakura.” His eyes were soft as he looked at her and for a moment she wondered, what he saw when he looked at her, did he see the woman he had fallen in love with, or the mother he had been forced to leave behind…

She shook her head to clear her mind of such thoughts. His eyes widened in understanding...she still…

“Naruto won’t let Sasuke do that, he’ll stop him.” Sakura was sure of it.

“...and Zetsu, what of him, if they are in Ame then they are by the Akatsuki base, have they seen Zetsu at all?” She asked.

“I do not know. Naruto only sent word concerning Nagato.” Gaara rose from his seat. “I will inquire for you if you like or do you plan on sending Karasu?”

“I’ll send Karasu.” Sakura bit her bottom lip, then looked up to find Gaara regarding her with an odd expression on his face.

“What is it?” She asked.

“Nothing Sakura. It is nothing.” He bowed his head and left her office, leaving her to ponder his words in solitude.

‘Nothing, It is nothing’, she turned to her window and looked out over the desert. “Nothing I am willing to do anything about at least.” She sighed, summoning Karasu with a bloody thumb.

“This will end it right? If we talk to him and get him to send Sakura to the goddess, this will secure all of our futures right?” Naruto looked at Sasuke pleading for his approval.

“I don’t trust him Naruto and neither should you. How do you know he is the same as he was in our time, you don’t. Look at Sasori, he is nothing like the man we knew.” Sasuke couldn’t believe he had to tell the blonde these things.

“We didn’t know him as a man though, only as a puppet and besides he has been with Sakura for the last eleven years, she changed him, like Gaara.” Naruto protested.

“Hn.” Sasuke would give him that but he still didn’t think it applied to Nagato. “I think we should do more surveillance at the very least.”

“Fine but you think it might be a mistake to trust him, I know it is a mistake to take his rinnegan Sasuke. The other nations won’t like that we have such a power in the Leaf. Nagato, no one knows he has it now that Danzo is dead.” Naruto tried yet again to convince his friend his way was not the right way.

“We don’t know if he would even send her to the right dimension, are you that willing to risk her safety for hope?” Sasuke countered.

He had a point.

“That’s why I want to talk to him!” Naruto waved his arms in the air.

That night, fate provided them with the perfect opportunity.

“Yahiko, shouldn’t we move against the nine tails or at least the one tails before that?” Konan asked the orange haired man as they walked across the last bridge outside of Amegakure.

“Obito wants the nine tails last.” Nagato reminded her. “The eight tails will not be easy to capture.”

“The one tails can not be captured, you remember what our informant told us don’t you?” Yahiko reminded Konan.

“If it’s true.” She countered.

“It’s true. I can feel it.” Nagato looked up at the night sky as they stepped off the bridge into the open field before them. “Something is…”

“What is it Nagato, do you sense something?” Yahiko stopped beside his friend and looked out over the open field where his friend was looking.

“Someone is there, two of them, shinobi by their chakra.” Konan disappeared in a flurry of paper squares.

“Let’s go.” Yahiko started running for the edge of the field, his arms trailing out behind him, Nagato hot on his heels.

“They know we’re here Naruto.” Sasuke didn’t wait for the blonde before he jumped from the tree they had been hiding in and ran out across the field to meet Nagato and Yahiko head on, sword clashing against sword as Yahiko jumped and met him mid air.

“What do you want with us, why are you watching the bridge?” Yahiko blocked Sasuke’s attacks blow for blow.

“Nagato!” Naruto raced up after Sasuke to stand before the redhead. “Hey! I’m your cousin Naruto! Do you uh, remember me?” Naruto grinned at Nagato.

“Cousin?” Yahiko pushed Sasuke back and away from him, jumping back to stand beside Nagato.

“What? Who are you? I don’t know you.” Nagato looked at Naruto in surprise then suspicion.

“Oh, I thought maybe you would remember but I guess not, not everyone does.” Naruto shrugged. “Well, that’s okay I guess, uh but hey, we don’t want to fight okay? I just want to talk to you.” Naruto grinned at the red head.

“Talk?” Yahiko looked from the strange talking blonde to the recognizable Uchiha. “About what?” He demanded.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “There’s no point Naruto, they aren’t going to believe you anyway, this is a waste of time.” He readied his katana with the full intent to attack Yahiko again.

“No wait Sasuke!” But it was too late, Sasuke had already lunged forward.

Naruto jumped forward, pushing Yahiko out of the way. Sasuke was too fast, his arm had already started moving and his adrenaline moved his blade.

“Ungh.” Naruto grunted as Sasuke’s blade ran through his chest...just over his heart. “Damn it Sasuke, you never learn do you?”


	59. Chapter 59

“Naruto! You idiot! Why!” Sasuke pulled his sword back out of Naruto’s chest, dropping to his knees beside his friend.

Konan reappeared in a flurry of paper squares. “Did he just, protect Yahiko?”

“He did.” Nagato’s eyes turned to the blonde and his friend in confusion. “Why did you do that, why protect him, a stranger?”

“He’s. Not a stranger, not really and. Neither. Are. You Nagato.” Naruto gasped for air clutching his chest.

“Sakura, we need to get you to Sakura, Naruto.” Sasuke lifted his friend up in his arms.

“You’re, wait!” Yahiko turned to Konan and Nagato. “He’s the nine tails jinchuriki!”

Nagato and Konan turned wide eyes to Naruto and Sasuke.

“What do we do now?” Konan asked Yahiko knowing full well they couldn’t hand the boy over to Obito after he had just saved Yahiko’s life.

“Here.” Naruto gasped again, blood dripping off the ends of his fingers. “Take some of my chakra, of the nine tails chakra.” Naruto’s hand grew red, the nine tails chakra forming in little popping bubbles over his palm as he held it out to Nagato.

“You can. Give this to. Obito.” Naruto thrust his arm out toward Nagato waving it slightly. “He can still use it to awaken the ten tails.”

“How do you know about the ten tails!” Yahiko demanded.

“I am the reincarnation of Asura Otsutsuki. This is my brother, Indra.” Naruto grinned at Nagato before Sasuke had heard enough and teleported them away.

It was taking too long. ‘I’m not going to get him to her in time’, Sasuke teleported them once again, slowly making his way across the map back to Suna, to Sakura. He could feel his chakra depleting rapidly with each move, each time he teleported but they had done too much, come too far and sacrificed too many to quit now.

Three hours later he had to stop. Sasuke dropped to his knees, Naruto rolling from his arms hit the ground hard with a grunt and a moan.

“I need to rest just for a few hours Naruto then, we can move again.” Sasuke panted heavily leaning over on his side. 

“It’s okay Sasuke.” Naruto closed his eyes panting hard, his hand still on his wound. “This won’t. Kill me.” He tried to grin at his friend but it came out more like a strangled snarl.

“Damn it. I knew we should have brought her with us.” Naruto said his ‘I told you so’, to his friend with a small smile.

Sasuke pulled a soldier pill from his pouch and crunched it between his teeth. Naruto noticed it was one of the ones Sakura had given them before they had left Suna.

“She’s different now you know, even more so than in our time, she’s stronger.” Naruto cracked an eye open and looked at his friend.

“Hn.” Sasuke chewed another soldier pill and laid down, rolling over onto his back and closing his eyes again.

Three hours later they were on the move again.

“Almost there Naruto, don’t die on me teme.” Sasuke choked out as he hit the ground just outside of the gates of Suna.

Gaara’s head snapped up, he could feel them just outside of the Suna gates, something was seriously wrong. Naruto’s chakra was, too weak. Sakura and his Uncle were already there when he appeared in a whirl of sand. Sasuke told her what had happened as she bent over Naruto healing the sword wound in his chest.

“Nagato, Konan and Yahiko didn’t believe us of course, I told him they wouldn’t. It was an accident Sakura, if he wasn’t such an idiot, it never would have happened.” Sasuke was looking down, watching her hands glow over Naruto.

Sakura blinked the tears back from her eyes before she finished healing the blonde. Leaning over she kissed him quickly on the forehead and stood up. Naruto groaned and sat up.

“Damn it Sasuke, that really hurt ya know.” Naruto grinned up at the younger Uchiha just in time to see Sakura’s fist connect with the side of his pale face.

“Fuck you Sasuke and your stupid pressumptuous ideas!” Sakura shook her fist to cool her knuckles and stepped back from the Uchiha as he scrambled back up to his feet glaring at her.

“I need to get word to B, tell him to give them some of his chakra ya know?” Naruto glanced from Sakura who was still breathing heavily beside her husband to Sasuke who was glaring at her holding his cheek. “Don’t kill each other okay?”

Gaara followed Naruto back into the village with one quick glance at Sakura.

“What were you thinking Sasuke!” She demanded once Gaara and Naruto were gone.

“They weren’t going to help us, you weren't there you don’t know.” Sasuke glared at her, the side of his face was starting to turn a nasty shade of purple and blue.

“Did you even try to talk to them before you attacked them?” Sakura asked, her hand on her hip as she leaned forward threateningly.

“Didn’t have to.” Sasuke mumbled walking past her through the gate into the village.

Sakura threw her hands up into the air and screamed. “Remind me why I saved him again?”

Sasori chuckled. 

“So the nine tails gave them some of his chakra.” He said as he took his wife’s hand and led her back into the village after her team. “If they get the one tail and the eight tail’s chakra, they might be able to revive him.”

“Who?” Sakura asked, she was still agitated with Sasuke and she had only been half listening to her husband.

“The ten tails dear. It is my understanding from speaking with Uchiha Itachi that if they even have part of the tailed beasts chakra they can revive the ten tails, it just won’t be quite as strong as it would have been with the tailed beasts fully combined power.” He told her allowing her to take her time to focus on his words.as he led her down the street to their home.

“You’ve been speaking with Itachi?” She stopped and looked at him. She hadn’t known that.

“Almost as much as you have.” Sasori gave her a bland look.

“Oh.” She hummed. “So then...Naruto said he gave them his chakra, the nine tails chakra I mean so that...does that mean, Obito is still…” She let her thoughts consume her.

Sasori remained quiet and let her sort through the details on her own. He had his own thoughts to distract him.

Karasu was waiting on his perch in the kitchen when Sasori and Sakura walked up to their porch. “I have a message, from Itachi.” Karasu cocked his head at Sakura. “Madara Uchiha has been reanimated and has broken the seal.”

Sakura’s heart hit the floor. “No.”

“Wait.” Sasori turned to the despised crow. “Who reanimated him?”

Karasu paused long enough to annoy Sasori before answering. “Obito Uchiha.”

“Obito knows the reanimation jutsu?” Sakura said in surprise.

“Apparently.” Karasu yawned.

“Sakura, he needs the tailed beasts, all of them before he can become human again. Obito can’t become the ten tails jinchuriki and perform the rinne rebirth jutsu yet, not while he still needs the one tails chakra.” Sasori patted her hand gently, reminding her.

“You assume his goals haven’t changed.” Karasu interjected.

Sasori narrowed his eyes at the crow. “Have they?”

“Itachi thinks they have.” Karasu refused to relay anymore on the subject and flew away.

“Have you ever considered changing your summons dear to say, a scorpion. They are much more reliable than that dirty crow.” Sasori said, and not for the first time in the last ten years.

Sakura brushed his comment aside, she had more important things to worry about. Madara Uchiha was walking among them again and from the description of what the man had done to their world the last time he had been reanimated...they all had a lot to think about and a lot to do.

“We need to find out what he wants, what his plan is, his goal, if it is the same as before.” She tapped her finger against her teeth, how...how do you find out the thoughts and desires of a mad man?

She looked over at her husband. “What if...because we deprived him of the Akatsuki members that we did he...allied himself with the Land of Demons? ...and like you said planted false information with them to cause mistrust and animosity across the five great nations, breaking up our alliances to weaken our position to go against him?” She asked him his opinion.

“I’ve already thought of that and am looking into it. It appears a certain blue haired woman was seen frequently traveling through the Hidden Straits between Wind and Claws.” Sasori rubbed his chin. “You said Konan has blue hair, correct?”

Sakura nodded and waited for him to continue.

“It is possible Madara is planning on using the life force of the demon Moryo to grant his gathered army the power needed to subdue the five great nations, giving him the opportunity to cast his Infinite Tsukuyomi.” Sasori speculated.

“Can he do that? Sakura asked, more than a little surprised.

“Anything is possible.” Her husband replied.

“If Itachi knows Madara was reanimated then he has either been watching him or…” She began.

“He has an informant.” Sasori nodded at his wife.   
“He has an informant inside of the Akatsuki.” Realization dawned on her as she looked at her husband. “Who?”

“I know as much as you do dear.” Sasori shrugged. It didn’t matter who so much as the information they had passed onto Itachi as far as he was concerned.

Naruto, Gaara and Sasuke looked up when Sakura walked into the main room of the palace’s living quarters. Temari and Kankuro were on one couch arguing while Naruto and Sasuke sat on another and argued.

“Sakura.” Gaara rose to greet her waving his hand to the seat beside him on the couch.

“What’s going on, why is everyone arguing?” She asked him, turning her green eyes to the red head.

“It seems Madara Uchiha has been reanimated.” Gaara told her.

“I know.” She took the glass he had offered her with a small smile. “Karasu just told me Obito did it and that Madara has already broken the seal.”

Sasuke paused to look at her. “You already know?”

Sakura nodded her eye brow quirked as if to say, ‘Is that a fucking problem?’.

Sasuke scowled at her, making Gaara narrow his eyes at the man, he had never, in this life or their last, liked the man very much.

“Temari and I will take a battalion each and set up camp along the border. If the Land of Demons makes their move, we will be there to stop them.” Kankuro rose from his seat bowing slightly to his brother.

“What of Konoha.” Gaara turned his head to Naruto and Sasuke. “Have you received anything from the Hokage with a response to my request?”

“Request?” Sakura asked.

“Troops Sakura.” Gaara gave her a side glance before setting his eyes back on Naruto who shook his head.

“Grandma Tsunade hasn’t sent anything yet but she will. I’m sure she’s just fighting the council on it, don’t worry Gaara she’ll come through for us, she always does.” Naruto assured his friend.

“Wait until we hear back from The Hokage, ready your battalions, but wait.” Gaara told his brother and sister who nodded and left the room.

“I thought you were going to let Sasori and I handle it, and maybe Itachi and Shisui?” Sakura asked confused, she had thought this had been settled and didn’t understand the need for extra troops. Her and Sasori were quite capable of handling a few thousand troops of poorly trained shinobi from the Land of Demons.

“I don’t want you to go, it is an unnecessary risk.” Gaara laid his hand over hers.

“Temari and Kankuro are more than capable of handling this situation.” Gaara continued.

“With Konoha’s help.” She added.

“The Land of Demons does not have skilled shinobi like the Land of Wind, like Konoha. Your expertise and certainly not that of my Uncle are required for such a task.” Gaara squeezed her leg gently, letting her know it wasn’t because he was trying to protect her.

“There are more important things for us to focus on, Sakura.” Sasuke watched the Kazekage’s interaction with his old teammate with interest. 

He had heard she had moved on during their war, he hadn’t believed the rumors that she had taken the Kazekage as a lover, or that he had taken her as one. Naruto had told him of course but since when did that knucklehead get anything right, however, now it seemed it was true but…”Aren’t you married, Sakura?”

“What?” Her head snapped to Sasuke, her eyes taking a moment to change focus from whatever Gaara had just said to what Sasuke was trying to say to her.

“I said, “Aren’t you married?” He looked down pointedly at the Kazekage’s hand on her upper thigh.

“You know that I am.” Sakura narrowed her eyes at the Uchiha, his insinuation clear. ‘Now he pays attention to me?’, she scoffed.

Gaara withdrew his hand a little too slowly, drawing Sasuke’s eye to him once more. “Once word from Konoha comes, my brother and sister will leave with whatever assistance the Hokage deems worthy for the border. We will leave for Rain, in the morning.”

“Rain?” Why are we going to Rain?” Sakura asked, confused. Clearly they had talked and had come to a decision without her.

“To talk to Madara Uchiha.” Gaara said.

“Talk?” Sakura’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “You think we can talk him out of destroying the world?” 

“I am his reincarnation, he must know as we do how the war ended. Do you really think he wants to become Kaguya?” Sasuke asked her with an annoyance he had barely tried to hide.

“So you think he’ll listen to us?” Sakura asked, she hadn’t even thought of that.

“I think he’ll have his own plan and I want in on it.” Sasuke said seriously.

Sakura looked down at her hands, she had a very bad feeling about this. Kaguya wanted her to heal her, Sasori had speculated that time moved along a different plane for the goddess than theirs, which is why she was still injured from her fight with Sasuke and Naruto, why she needed Sakura to heal her.

Kaguya had told her that she had already saved her once. Sakura still wasn’t sure what that meant, but she knew she had to save her again. If Sasuke was right, and Kaguya could still take over Madara’s body, then she could come back. If she came though, would she be the Kaguya that had sent Sakura back, or the hateful one?

“What if.” Sakura began. “What if she needs to take over Madara’s body in order for me to heal her?” Sakura looked up at her old team, then Gaara.

“That’s even better then. We can put Madara to rest when his rinne rebirth fails and kill Kaguya at the same time.” Sasuke said flatly.

“Kill her?” Sakura gasped. “I don’t want to kill her!”

All three men turned their heads to the pinkette. Naruto spoke first. “You don’t?” He didn’t understand.

“No, of course not she, she...you don’t know her like I do. She’s not a bad person Naruto.” Sakura stammered.

“She isn’t a person, she is a goddess Sakura. You forget who we are.” Sasuke’s voice was cold and she didn’t care for it.

“I don’t actually, in fact out of all of us, save Naruto, I know exactly who you are Indra.” Sakura lifted her chin as she spoke to him, she wasn’t backing down on this, they didn’t understand, they hadn’t seen the dreams she had, talked to the goddess like she had.

“She...is sad and I think she regrets what she did.” Sakura said quietly.

Gaara took her hand in his ignoring the Uchiha. “Tell us Sakura, why do you sympathize with her, the woman, the goddess who killed so many of our comrades, who set the world on fire and almost succeeded in killing off all of our kind?”

His words stung at first but Sakura quickly realized he was making a point of his own to Sasuke. He was saying without saying that she had a damn good reason for defending the goddess after everything she had done to them...and that he should hear her out. Sakura was grateful.

“Thank you Gaara.” She smiled at Gaara who simply nodded her, urging her to talk.

“I’ve been having dreams, since I came. I haven’t had any lately but the ones I did have...were informative. I didn’t understand them at first but, now I think I do. I think I understand her, as a woman.” She looked at Gaara. “As a mother.”

“We’re listening, Sakura, tell us.” Naruto smiled gently at her, encouragingly.

So she did, from the first dream, to the last. When she finished, Naruto looked troubled and Sasuke speechless. Gaara looked at Sakura with an intense sort of admiration that made her blush, so she looked away from him, to her hands in her lap, where he held them.

“She regrets?” Naruto mumbled looking up at Sasuke.

“We don’t know that.” Sasuke argued.

“Yeah but, what if...what if she does?” Naruto insisted, looking back at Sakura.

Sasuke sighed. “Fine. Let’s see what Madara has to say though, before we assume that our mother regrets anything and wants us to just be...happy.” He said the last word as if it were a foriegn object to him.

Sakura didn’t understand. This was a different time, a different life, how could he still be so...bitter?

“Then it’s settled. We leave at dawn.” Gaara nodded.

Naruto and Sasuke stood, stretched and left Gaara and Sakura alone on the couch. Sasuke cast one last look back at the pink haired woman but was pulled by the sleeve of his shirt by an impatient Naruto out of the room.

“Sakura, why didn’t you tell me, before, about your dreams, how you...suffered.” Gaara asked her quietly.

“...and make both of us feel even worse? You know why I couldn’t do that Gaara.” She was tired. Tired of this conversation, tired of hurting and just tired of being awake. It had been a very long day.

“You weren’t the only one hurting Sakura.” The teal of his eyes shimmered as he looked at her, tipping her chin up to meet his gaze.

“...but I was hurting alone.” Sakura stood pulling her hand from his. “Good night Kazekage.”

“Gaara, Sakura, please. I want you to call me Gaara, always.” He threw the words at her like a knife.

Sakura nodded her head with a small jerk and left him sitting on the couch, alone.

“Karasu.” Itachi greeted his summons.

“I’ve spoken with Sakura and told her Madara Uchiha has been reanimated by the man called Obito.” Karasu walked up Itachi’s arm and sat on his shoulder to wait for further instructions.

“You told her that he had broken the seal as well?” Itachi inquired.

“I did.” Karasu bobbed his head.

“Thank you Karasu. Please wait here, let me know if anyone comes.” Itachi pushed his bangs back from his eyes and stepped down into the darkened side of the mountain.


	60. Chapter 60

“I know I wasn’t there with you last time, for your war and I know we would have remained on opposing sides no doubt, but you needn’t worry dear, you’ll be fine. I will be here waiting for you to get back, keeping Suna safe.” Sasori pet his wife’s hair as they lay in bed together.

She had come home an hour ago, told him everything that had happened, then collapsed on the bed face first and moaned into their pillows. With a few gently placed chakra strings he had lifted her, turned her over and joined her on their bed taking her into his arms and pet her hair to sooth her frazzled nerves.

“Safe.” She laughed a mild laugh, her head laying on his chest. “That’s such a misleading word in our line of work Sasori.”

“Wait! You’re not going with me?” Her head popped up and she looked at him suspiciously. She had assumed he would go with her, but then she remembered Temari and Kankuro would be gone, she would be gone...and so would Gaara. “Oh.”

“Tsk.” He tsked at her. “I’m the pessimist in our marriage. Have faith dear. I know you’ll do fine, someone has to stay here and run things while everyone is away, who better than the previous kage.”” 

Sakura closed her eyes, he almost sounded sincere, she sighed deeply reaching out over his chest to hug him sideways. “It will be okay.”

Sasori didn’t know if she was saying it to reassure herself or him, but he nodded none the less and pulled her up over top of him. “In the event you do not return and we are both wrong, we should make love one more time.”

Sakura’s eyes flew open and she hit him on the arm. “Pessimist!” She laughed.

“I love you. Don’t forget me while you’re away.” Sasori smirked at her.

Her hand was forcibly jerked out from underneath her and she fell into his kiss.

Morning came too soon, like it always does when there is something both dreadful and dangerous that you must do. Sakura rolled over onto her back, her hands trailing up and down her husband’s arm. Reluctantly she left their warm bed and pulled her clothes on over her head.

“I’ll see you again soon. I’ll send you updates when I can with Karasu.” She grinned at the scowl on his face. He despised her crows as much as they despised him.

“At least my summons doesn’t try to poison you.” She told him.

“No, he only sits on my hand carved trellis and defecates all over the patio.” Sasori countered.

“I’ll miss you too.” Sakura bent over at the waist and kissed her very naked, very handsome husband goodbye.

“Be safe.” He said as she jumped out of their bedroom window to the street below.

Her team met her at the gate. Gaara had of course opted to wear his regular shinobi gear instead of his Kazekage robes. Their eyes met and a silent greeting was said between the two of them full of sadness, hope and understanding.

“Morning Sakura!” Naruto’s voice rang like a bell and his smile shone like the sun. It gave her hope.

“Good morning Naruto.” Sakura smiled at her friend.

“Let’s get going.” Sasuke scowled.

Gaara’s eyes slid to the side toward the Uchiha and back to Sakura’s with a humor lit in them that made her smile. This was going to be an interesting mission.

It had taken all night, but he had finally found what he had been looking for. Itachi pushed his chakra into his eyes which spun red at his command focusing on the small glowing orb on the pedestal in front of him. Another push of chakra and his eyes spun again and formed the mangekyou sharingan. He silently thanked Izumi for his power and cursed her killer at the same time.

‘We can not change the past again, the threads of time have been worn too thin but with this, we can both prevent the past future and protect the current one’, he thought vaguely. Itachi reached out, his slender fingers pale in the dim glow of the resurrection orb. Slowly, they encased the orb. 

“Ungh.” Itachi almost dropped it. He could feel the power of the universe pulsating through the orb as he slid it into his pouch. Only when he had released it, letting it fall to the bottom of his pouch did he understand. It was life. He had, for that moment, held the life of the universe in his hands.

With respect and a little bit of awe, he bowed low, falling to the ground his forehead pressed against the granite of the cave. “Forgive me elder and thank you.”

With a final bow and a whispered prayer Itachi rose from the ground and left the cave, climbed back up to the surface through the deepest known bowels of the Earth, back into the light of humanity.

Sasuke stopped on the next branch and looked over his shoulder, this was taking too long. He glared at the nearest person which happened to be Sakura.

“We’re moving too slowly, we need to hurry. Can’t you run any faster?” He snapped at her.

“I liked you better when you abandoned the village to join Orochimaru, at least I didn’t have to listen to your bitching then.” Sakura put her hand on her hip as Naruto and Gaara joined them, their branches swaying under their weight.

“Enough Sasuke.” Naruto growled. They didn’t have time for this. “Come on, let’s just keep going.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the Uchiha, daring him to say something else to her. With a shrug and a scoff, Sasuke leapt to the next branch and away. Sakura unclenched her fists and rolled her eyes.

“His words don’t have the same effect on you as they used to.” Gaara observed as they ran through the forests of Northern Fire country to Rain.

“I don’t love him like I thought I did anymore, you know that. Besides, it’s different now.” She didn’t look at him, she didn’t have to, to know he knew what she meant.

Gaara didn’t comment, there was nothing more to say. Some things were different yes, but others...no, not everything was different.

Sasuke grit his teeth, he could feel it.

Thump. Thump.

“We’re almost there.” Sasuke called back to Naruto. “Can you feel him, it’s the same isn’t it?”

Naruto nodded. “Yeah, but...it’s not really the same is it?” 

“What do you mean?” Sasuke concentrated on the chakra signature again, focusing all of his attention on it as he ran. “What...is that?”

“I don’t know but we’ll find out soon enough.” Naruto could see two figures up ahead, standing...waiting in an open field.

‘They knew we were coming’, Sakura realized.

They dropped down at the edge of the field and Sakura couldn’t help but notice, it was eerily similar to the field from her dreams, the one where she would meet and speak to Kaguya in.

Gaara stepped closer to Sakura, his eyes on the two figures across the field. “Are you alright, what is it?” He asked her.

“I know this place. This is...the field from my dreams.” She whispered to him.

Gaara’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

Sakura nodded. “I’m sure Gaara.”

“I’ve been expecting you.” Madara stood before them, leaning against his gun bai.

“Have you.” Sasuke replied just as coolly, just as calmly.

“So nice to see all of you again, except…” Madara’s eyes fell onto Sakura. “I do not remember you.”

Sakura’s mouth went dry, she could feel the power emanating from this man, this...legend, he was unlike anyone she had ever encountered before.

“I died before we could be...introduced.” Sakura inclined her head, a forced smile on her lips.

Madara picked his gun bai up, balancing it over his shoulder and looked closely at the pink haired woman. He had never met her, he would have remembered her, with hat hair of hers and yet...she seemed too familiar. “There’s something different about you. You’re different from them...what is your name girl?”

Sakura paled and swallowed visibly subconsciously taking two steps closer to Gaara who stood beside her. “He knows.” She whispered.

Gaara didn’t look at Sakura, he kept his eyes focused on Madara before them. 

“She’s not important, it’s obvious you remember us which means you have your memories back from our previous timeline. We have come to ask you, have you given up on your Infinite Tsukuyomi, or do you intend to cast it again?” Sasuke demanded.

Madara ignored Sasuke and spoke to Sakura again. “Do you have it?”

“Have it?” Sakura didn’t understand what he was asking her. “Have what?”

“The orb of course.” Madara cocked his head to the side. They didn’t know what he was referring to, he realized. 

“You came here without it? How amusing.” A wicked grin split his face. It didn’t matter who the girl was, ‘or what’, he corrected himself, she didn’t have the orb to release the Zetsu from his body to draw Kaguya from his soul...he was safe. Madara turned to the boy who had spoken to him, confidence renewed...he was going to win this time.

“I have every intention of casting my Infinite Tsukuyomi, as you said, I remember everything you do of our time together and have made a few minor adjustments to my plans.” His smile grew.

“I don’t like this. This was a bad idea.” Sakura whispered to Gaara.

“It was a bad idea love, to come here thinking you could defeat me...so ill prepared.” Madara pointed his gun bai at Sasuke.

“Shall we dance?” He was fast, so fast.

Sasuke blocked his first, second and third blow. Naruto circled and attacked from the side. Gaara’s sand rose up around them falling in waves over the field crashing down around them.

“Don’t forget about me.” Obito flashed behind Sakura forcing her to dodge and weave, moving her farther and farther from her team.

“We know why you’re here.” He told her, his fist caught in her chakra infused hand, his face impassive and bored looking. He was barely trying, she realized...

“I’ve been having dreams about you. I knew you would come.” He whispered as he locked her arm behind her back and pressed her down onto the ground.

“You’re here to heal the goddess, to heal Kaguya aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

“If Madara remembers, why don’t you Obito?” She gasped out as he twisted her arm behind her, his weight on her back. “Naruto told me, he told me you had a change of heart in the end when you realized Madara was using you, why are you doing this?”

“Don’t you think I already know that?” He pulled her up by her arms and moved her to the side of the field. 

“Sit here and stay out of the way.” Just as Sakura pulled her glowing fist back, he moved, so fast...and she fell over, unconscious.

Obito turned, jumped and ran across the trees cutting back around to the other side of the field, avoiding the wall of sand that had risen up to engulf him. He had to take Sasuke out, that was the plan. Immobilize the boy.

“Allow me Madara. I can not handle the nine tails remember? Not in this time. I lack the tailed beast’s power. Let me take care of your reincarnation.” Obito dropped down beside Madara, taking over hit for hit as Sasuke moved across the field.

“Head strong as always I see, very well, I will allow you this...don’t fail me, like you did last time.” Madara stepped aside, flickering to Naruto, then flipping back to avoid a red chakra burst of power.

Itachi could feel them before he could see them. They had already engaged Madara. He hoped he wasn’t too late…

“You don’t get it do you.” Obito taunted Sasuke. “This was all planned, we knew everything you were doing from the very beginning.”

“You talk too much.” Sasuke thrust his katana out, kicked up, twisted in the air, and came back down with a side swiped jab, kunai in hand.

“He’s coming you know.” Obito said cryptically.

“Who is coming?” Sasuke sneered.

“We’re not going to make it in time!” Konan yelled at Yahiko who was in the lead as they ran through Rain.

“We will, don’t give up!” Yahiko pushed chakra into the soles of his feet and picked up his pace.

“Thanks for coming.” Temari gave Shisui a flirtatious grin. “I see you’ve brought Konoha’s best.” Temari nodded to the mass of Uchiha behind Shisui the Teleprter.

“Well, I couldn’t let Suna have all the fun now could I?” Shisui winked at the spiky haired blonde making her throw her head back and laugh.

“Get ready! They come!” Kankuro shouted out to the column of waiting shinobi.

“Moryo’s army!” Temari paled. “The demon has been released…”

“Don’t lose it on me now Blondie, why do you think the Hokage sent the Uchiha?” Shisui grinned at her and tapped his eyes which spun red. 

“Moryo may be a demon and powerful, but we...have the sharingan. It’s useful for more than just tailed beasts Blondie!” Shisui laughed and flickered away to the front, his clansmen screaming out their battle cry behind him, red eyes glowing.

“What are you waiting for, an invitation? Come on Temari!” Kankuro yelled at his sister.

“Pathetic.” Madara tore his fist from Naruto’s chest where he had jabbed him clean through to the other side. “I had hoped you would be more of a challenge this time but it appears I was...mistaken.”

Sakura’s eyes fluttered open, the sound of battle filled her ears and awareness had her leaping to her feet just in time to watch Madara punch his hand through Naruto, fingers first, then pull back, Naruto dropping to the ground hard.

“No!” She screamed, releasing her seal as she ran to her friend, to save him. ‘Did he not have Sage mode in this time?’, she thought frantically.

Itachi saw the burst of green, he heard her scream as he streaked across the field toward his intended target.

“Madara!” Itachi called out the legend’s name right before their bodies collided.

Obito turned to see Itachi collide with Madara and a grin broke out across his face. “Looks like it’s time.” With a quick jab to the side of his neck Sasuke collapsed to the ground with a grunt.

Yahiko, Konan and Nagato ran out into the field. “We have it! Obito Sama, we have it!”

“Good.” Obito threw them a scroll. “Release them! I need to help Itachi!”

Sakura saw the collide, eyes wide, hands pressed into Naruto’s chest. Gaara had stopped beside her, his eyes passing over the field to ward off any danger while she healed their friend. He watched as Itachi spun and leapt into the air fighting Madara, he saw Obito join the fray, but…”He’s...helping Itachi?”

Sakura looked up to where Gaara was watching the three fastest and most skilled shinobi she had ever seen exchange blows. It was so powerful and so graceful she almost couldn’t look away.

“Obito is helping Itachi?” Naruto brought Sakura’s attention back down to where he still lay under her healing hands.

“Obito...he’s...he was Itachi’s informant.” Sakura whispered to herself. ‘We might...actually beat him’, she helped Naruto to his feet, his wounds healed.

‘They’re coming’, Shukaku yelled at Gaara.

‘They?’, Gaara asked the tanuki.

‘The tailed beasts of course’, Shukaku growled at him impatiently.

Gaara and Naruto turned to look at Yahiko, Nagato and Konan. A burst of white shone through the field blinding them momentarily.

“No way.” Naruto grinned and ran to his cousin.

“Nagato, hey Nagato! You’re kidding me! B gave you the eight tails?” Naruto tackled his cousin in a bear hug knocking him to the ground.

“It isn’t over yet Naruto. I have to help Obito, now that the tailed beasts have been released.” Nagato ran to Itachi and Obito where they were still battling Madara, his rinnegan glowing brighter the closer he got to the three.

“How did you obtain the eight tails?” Gaara asked Yahiko and Konan suspiciously.

“We didn’t kill the host if that’s what you’re really asking Kazekage.” Yahiko said with the slightest bit of an edge.

“Not all of the tailed beasts chakra is required. Like Naruto, we only collected partial amounts of the tailed beasts chakra.” Konan added.

“We heard that the Akatsuki were hunting the tailed beasts though.” Sakura protested.

“Yeah, because that’s what Obito wanted the world to think, Madara to think. It was a plan, but we couldn’t do it alone.” Yahiko admitted.

“Itachi.” Sakura looked over her shoulder.

“Yeah.” Yahiko smiled at her. “We didn’t know about your guys though, Naruto was a bit of a uh, surprise.” 

“You mean accident.” Konan smiled at the orange haired man in amusement.

“Yeah well it might have been okay if that asshole hadn’t been so dead set on killing me.” Yahiko waved to the still unconscious Sasuke.

“Should we...revive him?” Gaara asked Sakura.

“Leave him.” She shook her head. “What is that?” She pointed to a small glowing blue orb that Itachi had in his hand.

They turned to look…

“We might not have needed the ten tails after all, it looks like they have him.” Yahiko thrummed with excitement.

“Hold him!” Itachi made the hand signs in a blur. 

“Now, before it seals us all!” Nagato yelled, his eyes glowing to a luminous shine.

“You’ll only have one chance!” Obito grit his teeth, his chains wrapped around Madara, Itachi's seal set in place. “Now Nagato!”

Nagato made the hand signs of the ancient scrolls he had found in the Land of Eddies and lifted the orb into the air with the power of his rinnegan pushing it into Madara’s chest.

“This is how you pull a god from a legend.” He murmured as his eyes sparked with chakra.

Sakura watched as her world faded away from her. She felt like she was falling again but her limbs remained still and her feet found ground again as it rose up around her once more. She opened her eyes that she had realized she had closed and looked around her.

‘Sakura.’ The whimsical voice of Kaguya floated over the ground to where Sakura stood beside Gaara, Yahiko and Konan. ‘Heal me child’.

‘Kaguya’, Sakura turned to find the pale lavender eyes of the goddess beside her.

‘Hurry my girl, we are running out of time, they will not be able to hold my son much longer’, Kaguya spread open the folds of her robe. Sakura could see the light coming through the cracks of her chest.

‘Is that...your soul?’, Sakura reached out for her, her hands glowing a gentle purple and green.

“Yes’, Kaguya said simply and closed her eyes.

Sakura placed her hands over Kaguya’s heart, into her soul, her fingers sinking into her flesh. Flashes of a mythical land on a far away planet passed before her eyes. Two boys in white robes ran across a garden before her chasing a ball.

“Hagoromo!” One of the boys laughed at the other.

“Hamura come here!” The other boy called to his brother.

Sakura watched the picture fade and crack like frozen water over a thin plane. The spidery cracks split and rent jaggedly chasing themselves across the smooth surface of their joined consciousness.

“Indra, this is not the way.” A brown haired man stood tall and firm beside a darker haired man, Indra.

“Fool, you have no idea what you’re talking about. You disgust me brother.” Indra hissed.

“We must seal her, it is the only way.” Asura argued.

“No, we must kill her, that is the only sure way.” Indra countered.

“You’re wrong.” Asura shook his head.

Crack. Another line, another connecting thread of glass and ice…

“Hashirama!” Madara lunged forward to meet his childhood friend in battle.

“Madara!” Hashirama flew at Madara clashing above the carnage…

‘No’, Sakura whispered, tears falling silently down her face. ‘No, stop, this is a mistake’, she begged them silently.

The ice shattered, the glass fell to the floor…

“Everything we did as Team seven, was that all just meaningless to you!?” Naruto screamed at Sasuke, in the Valley of the End.

“It was not meaningless, to me, you have become my...closest friend…” Sasuke told him, eyes dark and staring.

“Then why! Why are you doing this!” Naruto screamed, anger, hurt and fear ripping from his chest.

‘Naruto...Sasuke…’ Sakura cried.

‘It was my fault they were like this. My fault this world was thrown into chaos.’, Kaguya stood beside Sakura, the Valley of the End fading from their surroundings to be replaced with the field of flowers. ‘I never should have...eaten the fruit of the god tree...I ...regret.’

Kaguya held her hands out to Sakura and Sakura placed her hands over Kaguya’s frail ones. ‘Forgive me Sakura and forgive them as you forgave Sasori, you’re greatest foe’

‘I scorned this world. I became bitter, I had lost all hope in humanity but I still...wanted peace so I ate the fruit...my first mistake. I was cruel. Forgive me’ Kaguya held her hands and bowed her head to the girl. 

‘My hope, it grew in you. I saw...another world in your eyes, and you showed me, love, never truly dies.’ She looked across the field where Sakura still stood beside Gaara.

‘He loves you as you love him, mother and child, like the fruits of my own labors. I was in love once.’ Kaguya’s voice was sad, lonely.

‘We are connected, you and I, allow me to live again, through you’ Kaguya leaned forward and kissed Sakura’s cheek. ‘You, are my redemption’.

Sakura nodded, she understood.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

‘My time is done’, Kaguya’s hands slipped in Sakura’s grasp, but their palms still touched. ‘I will return to the moon, thank you Sakura’.

‘I forgive you Kaguya and thank you for giving me a second chance, to love again, to live’, Sakura smiled at the beautiful woman whose hands she held.

Kaguya closed her eyes and smiled, ‘That is enough then’. Her body began to fade, Sakura’s hands passed through hers and fell limply at her sides as the goddess turned to mist and floated away with a passing wind.

Madara stopped struggling against Itachi, Nagato fell unconscious to the ground knocking Obito back and stumbling away.

“It’s time.” Madara’s lips turned up into a peaceful smile. “Thank you son of my sons.”

Itachi stood beside the old Clan head of the Great Uchiha and watched as his body turned to mist and faded away, a look of restful peace upon his face.

“Did we do it? Is it done?” Obito looked around the field, his eyes found Sakura. “She did it then, thank kami.” He sat down hard, his face in his hands and wept.

“Sakura, love, wake up...please.” Gaara held her in his arms, his heart aching in his chest. “Why won’t she open her eyes?” He looked up to Naruto who had come to kneel beside them.

“I don’t know, let’s take her home. I’ll send word to Grandma Tsunade, maybe she can meet us in Suna and...help Sakura.” Naruto picked Sasuke up, bowed to Nagato, Yahiko and Konan. “Thanks for your help.”

Gaara picked up Sakura and disappeared in a whirl of sand back toward Suna, Naruto following at a slightly slower pace with Sasuke over his shoulder.

“What about them?” Yahiko pointed to the tailed beasts lounging around the field looking at the shinobi with interest.

“They’re free. It seems we...overcompensated.” The corners of Obito’s mouth twitched. Itachi bowed low to the tailed beasts. “Unless of course you wish to return to your hosts?”

“I thought I told you to leave. Sakura is not to be disturbed! She hasn't recovered from her chakra exhaustion and her chakra channels are nearly burned to a crisp!” 

Sakura could hear Lady Tsunade yelling at someone, her mind piercing together her shisou’s words.

“I don’t care who you are! I just spent the better part of twelve hours healing all of her chakra channels while keeping her from dying from using all of her chakra!” Tsunade continued to bellow at the top of her voice.

Sakura cracked an eye open slowly, the light of the day nearly unbearable. She groaned.

“Get out of the way woman, I want to see my wife!” Sakura heard Sasori’s voice over her shisou’s and sat up in bed, holding her hands to her head, she felt dizzy and sick.

Sakura reached out blindly, her eyes closed against the pain and felt around the night stand beside her hospital bed searching for something to throw at the door. Her fingers landed on a small cheap alarm clock...that will do. She picked it up and threw it against the door of her room.

A second later, using the clock thudding against the door as a distraction like she had intended, Sasori burst through the door past the Hokage and into her room.

“Sakura.” Sasori grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips, kissing her madly.

“Sasori.” Sakura still held her head with one hand but smiled at her husband, he had been worried about her. “I missed you.”

“You’re home, that’s all that matters.” He ignored the dark look of the Hokage behind him and pulled a chair up to his wife’s bed with his chakra strings, lay his head in her lap and closed his eyes.

Sakura met her shisou’s eyes over her husband’s head.

“Are you happy kid?” Tsunade asked her.

Sakura looked down at Sasori’s red locks under her hand and nodded. “I have everything I’ve ever wanted Shisou.”

“I want you to rest. Do you understand?” Tsunade gave her one last warning look before turning and shutting the door.

“That woman is insufferable, however did you stand training under her?” Sasori lifted his head and took both of her hands in his kissing her knuckles.

“She’s not so bad Sasori.” Sakura smiled a tired smile at her husband. “How long have I been out, was I sleeping the whole time?” She didn’t even remember returning to Suna.

“Gaara and Naruto returned two days ago with you, you were unconscious and weak with chakra depletion you...almost died.” His face was turning from worried to angry.

“I had to Sasori, I had to heal her.” Sakura grimaced at the pain and hurt in his eyes. “I’m sorry. She had never seen him so emotional, so expressive before and it made her feel horribly guilty but incredibly pleased at the same time.

“I love you Sasori.” She smiled at him as her eyes closed once more. She was home, she was safe and...Kaguya had found the closure she had needed to move on.

“I love you too dear.” Sasori laid his head back in her lap. “Don’t do that to me again or...I’ll turn you into a puppet, so you can never die.”

Sakura laughed at his joke but when he looked up at her with heated eyes she realized...he hadn’t been joking. “Don’t you dare Sasori.” She growled at her husband who smirked.

“Don’t give me cause to seriously consider it as a viable option then...dear.” He narrowed his eyes at her.

“Deal.” Sakura sighed, resting her head back against the soft pillows and closed her eyes again.

When she woke not only Sasori was there but Gaara and Naruto as well. They told her what had happened, the parts they had all played and how all of the tailed beasts were now free.

Sakura turned to Gaara. “Shukaku is free now?”

“No, he chose to stay with me, like Kurama.” Gaara nodded to Naruto who grinned at her. “Some of the tailed beasts like B’s eight tails returned to them but others chose freedom and now roam the lands untouched.”

“Will they remain untouched?” Sakura doubted that. “Won’t the other nations try to capture and claim them eventually?”

Naruto smiled. “They can’t now!” He beamed at her.

“The one tail’s heart is sealed with you Sakura, he can not be taken from me. Kurama's heart is sealed with Sasuke and all of the other tailed beasts, even the free ones, have chosen a vessel for their hearts and have been sealed.” Gaara told her.

“Yahiko, Nagato and Konan all have tailed beast hearts sealed within them.” Naruto smiled proudly.

“And Itachi and Shisui.” Gaara added.

Sakura sighed in relief. “Thank kami.”

“No, thank you Sakura, without you...history may have repeated itself.” Itachi Uchiha spoke from the door of her hospital room, his cousin Shisui behind him.

“It was all of us, Itachi.” Sakura smiled. 

“We all get a second chance.” She smiled at her husband.


	61. Epilogue

Sakura eventually recovered from chakra depletion with so mild changes to her chakra control. The balance within her chakra channels was much more stable after healing Kaguya than it had been before allowing her to heal longer and more people at once without releasing her seal, however, there was a cost. The day after Sakura was released from the hospital, she began to age again.

Gaara never married, claiming his heart would only ever belong to Sakura. Satisfied with her choice to remain with his Uncle, he loved her from a respectable distance and threw himself into his work as Kazekage.

The world enjoyed a time of peace and flourished under its umbrella.

Sakura bore Sasori three children, two boys with red hair like their father, and a little girl with pink hair like their mother. Sasori adored them and they could do no wrong in his eyes.

When one vessel of a tailed beast’s heart passed away, another was chosen and so the cycle of peace continued. 

It wasn’t until many years later, when Sakura’s hair was streaked with white and pink that her husband passed away. With a final kiss and one last breath Sasori breathed out his last breath, his wife’s name in his head and a smile on his lips.

She stood before his grave, the wind of the desert at her back and mourned her loss alone. Her children would have come with her, but she preferred it this way. Here she could talk to him like she used to, here she could close her eyes and almost...almost see him standing there beside her, holding his hand out to her welcoming her home.

“Sasori.” His name left her lips. A sigh. 

Breathe out…

‘Would you like to see him again?’ Kaguya’s face materialized in her mind.

Breathe in…

‘Sakura, would you like to see your husband again?’ Kaguya smiled at the woman.

Thump. Thump.

‘I told you, remember? Love, is eternal’, Kaguya closed her eyes and enveloped Sakura’s old and fragile body in light, in love and laughter…

Thump. Thump.

Sakura opened her eyes. The back of her head hurt. She groaned.

“Ah, so you’re alive. Very good.” 

The voice of a small boy, a gleam of red as the sun hit his hair, a smirk on his lips…

“Sasori?” Sakura choked out his name and sat up quickly banging her head against his.

“Do I know you?” He grumbled glaring at her as he held his head.

“No.” Sakura smiled, her eyes shining. ‘Thank you Kaguya’

The little redheaded boy looked down at the pink haired girl...she had the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked this ending, let me know what you think :)
> 
> The main story is over, however, I will be writing a fun little parody for it soon, check back later :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	62. Parody

“The Serry Jpringer Show”

Serry: Thank you for joining us today. Today we have a guest who claims he is in love with a woman who used to be his mother and he wants to tell her today just how much he loves her and why she should leave her husband, his Uncle, for him. Please welcome Sabaku no Gaara, the Sixth Kazekage!

Audience: Gasping…hesitant clapping...

Serry: So, Kazekage Sama, thank you for joining us today. I know you have a very busy schedule and we have had to reschedule your appearance twice already.

Gaara: That was due to my Uncle’s interference more than my schedule. It appears he had heard of my request to appear on your show through his spy network.

Serry: His spy network?

Gaara: Yes, my Uncle has spies everywhere, he knows almost everything.

Serry: Well, I would expect nothing less from the former Fifth Kazekage of Suna. So tell me Kazekage in your own words, why are you here today?

Gaara: Well, in the future there was a fourth great shinobi war and the world as we knew it had been thrown into chaos.

Audience: Gasping…

Gaara: Through the blood, the death and the tears Sakura and I, that is the woman I am here to confess to, fell in love. It was love at ‘first injury’ for me. 

Serry: I see. Could you tell us more, Kazekage Sama, what exactly do you mean, by ‘first injury’, were you actually injured in this war you are talking about?

Audience: Sounds of shock and disbelief…

Gaara: Yes, as you know Sakura is the best medic in the world, this was also true in her own time. I got injured and she healed me, it was then I knew, there was no one else for me but her.

Audience: Awww…

Serry: So then, tell me, you said in the future there is going to be a fourth shinobi world, is that true?

Gaara: I said in the future there was, not is going to be. To make a long story short, Sakura was sent back in time by the Rabbit goddess Kaguya. That’s when we fell in love, in her timeline and when she was sent back, I was only 4 years old, which is how she became my mother.

Audience: Ohhhhhhhh…

Serry: I see, so this war, is no longer going to happen? You and Sakura came back together?

Gaara: No, she was sent back, I was already here, she didn’t age until she healed the Rabbit goddess and time resumed along her previous plane of existence.

Serry: Uh huh, well...would you like to meet this woman?

-Serry turns his smile to the audience-

Audience: Yeahhhh!

-Sakura walks out onto the stage, her face is flushed, her fists are clenched and she sits down in the seat beside Gaara-

Serry: Welcome Sakura, I must say, you don’t look a day over 19 maybe 20.

Sakura: Thank you Serry, it is all thanks to the Rabbit goddess. I’m actually 32 years old.

Audience: Gasp...Liar…

Sakura: No! It’s true! She stopped time for me because she wasn’t sure how long it would take for me to heal her, for our consciousness to grow together and for her to find the closure she needed to move on.

Serry: I take it you were listening backstage, Sakura? You seem to already know why you’re here.

Sakura: Of course I do Serry. Gaara isn’t as hard to read as he thinks, besides...my Husband, Sasori of the red Sand, has his spies everywhere...even in your network...Jerry, opps! I mean Serry.

Audience: ooooooooo…

Serry cleared his throat-

Serry: So why don’t you tell us Sakura, in your own words, how did you come to be here in ‘this time’?

Sakura: As Gaara said I was sent back by the Rabbit goddess, she sent me back So I would be here to heal her and to save her two sons Ashura and Indra from making the same mistakes again. I refer to Sasuke Uchiha, you know, the reincarnation of Indra and Naruto Uzumaki, the reincarnation of Ashura.

Serry: Very interesting. So this goddess, she talked to you? She told you why you were here?

Sakura: No, in fact I fell out of the sky after she sent me, flung me really, and fell from the sky to land in front of the Kazekage, Rasa, Gaara’s father. Rasa told Yashmaru to bring me with them, that’s when I met Gaara...again, but this time he wasn’t the Kazekage that I knew, he was this adorable little boy with teal eyes and the cutest nose…

Audience: Awwww…

Serry: I can’t imagine how that must have made you feel.

Sakura: It was very confusing Serry, I’ll admit but it was nothing...nothing compared to how I felt when I met Sasori face to face in this time…

Serry: Sasori your husband, you mean, you knew him from before, in your time?

Gaara: Knew him...he tried to kill her, poisoned her, stabbed her, tried to squash her with magnet release with the Third Kazekage’s jutsu. He wanted to make her into a human puppet and said it was a compliment!

Audience: Gasp…

Sakura: Yes, that was after Deidara kicked your ass, remember that Gaara Kun? Remember how a pretty boy blonde art student blew you up Kazekage? ....and for Sasori, that is the highest compliment, he doesn't turn just anyone into a human puppet ya know!

Audience: Ohhhh Snap!

Gaara: I was protecting Suna and would do it again, gladly. 

Audience: Awwwww…

Sakura: You would have died if it hadn’t been for Granny Chiyo and I defeating Sasori and saving you!

Serry: You...defeated Sasori of the Red Sand?

Sakura: Yes, with the help of Granny Chiyo of course, I was only 15 then and he was roughly 35 and a puppet.

Audience: Gasp…

Serry: A puppet? You mean he made himself into one of his immortal pieces of art?

Sakura: Yup, it made him near impossible to kill.

Serry: Amazing. Absolutely amazing. Shall we meet this amazing man?

-Serry turns to ask the audience-

Audience: Yes!

-Sasori walks out, sees the only chair that is available to him to be the one beside his nephew. With a twitch of his hand he removes the empty chair from its place, with another twitch Serry is lifted into the air chair and all, and set down beside Gaara, Sasori having placed the empty chair beside his wife, sits down with a bored look on his handsome face-

Serry: That’s one way to change the seating arrangement.

Audience: Appreciative yet apprehensive laughter

-Sasori turns his head to Serry and raises a perfectly poise eyebrow of disinterest-

Audience: Nervous laughter, one man escapes out the back door of the studio never to return…

Serry: Yes, well...welcome Sasori Sama, thank you for joining us today.

Sasori: Akasuna Sama.

Serry: I’m sorry?

Sasori: you will be sorry, if you refer to me as anything other than...Akasuna Sama. We are not friends.

Serry: Of course Akasuna Sama, but we aren’t enemies either.

Audience: Nervous laughter...another person sneaks out of the back door…

Sasori: That remains to be seen. I will be...evaluating you throughout this...show. Proceed.

Sakura: Sasori be nice, the man is only doing his job.

Sasori: His job is no concern of mine, nor should it be a concern of yours.

Audience: Ooooooo…

Sasori: Be still.

-Glares a cold amber glare at the audience who swallows as one-

Sakura: Sasori don’t be so grumpy. It’s not their fault you fell asleep last night before we could...you know.

Audience: OOOOO?

Sasori: Cease your prattle woman, or I’ll make you into a puppet.

Gaara: ...and she chose him over me…

Sasori: What was that nephew?

Gaara: I said, Uncle, I still can’t believe she chose you over me.

Serry: Let’s talk about that shall we?

Sakura: There’s nothing to talk about, I love my husband, end of story.

Gaara: Really, you used to love waking up to my hands in your hair, my tongue in your mouth and my cock in your

Sakura: Shut up Gaara!

Audience: More! More! More!

Sasori: Yes Nephew, do shut up. You’ve tried for the last year but she doesn’t want you anymore, get over it.

Audience: Ooooooo…

Sakura: Gaara, you didn’t need to bring us here, you know, we could have talked about this in private, at home.

Gaara: I needed to tell you, in front of witnesses, Sakura. I’m still in love with you, the time we spent together during the war, fighting for those we loved, for our future...it meant everything to me. I was going to...ask you to marry me, but there was a war going on, we each had more important things to deal with.

Sasori: Yes and now as Kazekage again...you chose a public forum to not only embarrass me, but Sakura as well.

Gaara: I love her! You stole her from me and then banished me to the northern outpost!

Sasori: You were a brat. You were always hanging off of her, wanting to sleep with her, kiss her, hug her...it was disgusting.

Sakura: He was six years old Sasori.

Sasori: ...and your former lover…

Sakura: You didn’t know that at first though and neither did he.

Serry: That must have been agonizingly painful for you Sakura. I can’t even imagine how that must have made you feel.

Gaara: I can.

Sasori: As whiny as ever nephew. All you ever did as a child was cry and complain, brat. Why am I even here, she’s my wife, I’ve already won, you’re just a sore loser.

Gaara: She was mine first!

-Sand rises up around Gaara swirling and whipping around the stage-

Sasori: Scoffs….Are you going to throw a temper tantrum? How...expected…

Sakura: Gaara, please calm down and Sasori stop antagonizing him like that, you know how sensitive Gaara can be.

Sasori: Quiet, he needs to learn his lesson. If you interfere I’ll turn you into a puppet.

-Chakra strings shoot out of Saori’s fingers toward an empty chair behind the stage-

Audience: Chair! Chair!

Sasori: I suppose this could be entertaining. I needed a break from my constant plotting, spying and meticulous poison making…

Gaara: Uncle! It’s time you learned not to take what isn’t yours!

-Sand explodes from the gourd at Gaara’s side and sweeps over the stage. Sakura grabs Serry and jumps up into the rafters avoiding the sand, sets Serry down and drops back down onto the now sand filled stage. A few of the front row seats are turned over and people are running for the doors as Sasori pulls a scroll from his pouch and calls forth his new ten ‘Destroyer’ puppets.-

Sakura: Uh guys...no one is here, they all ran away.

-Sasori looks around-

Sasori: Good, I didn’t want to be here anyway, I only came for you dear.

Gaara: I just wanted to tell you how much I loved you Sakura…

Sakura: I already knew that Gaara. You didn’t need to bring me on the Serry Jpringer Show to tell me that.

Steve: Can someone get Serry down before you guys leave?

Sasori: No.

-Takes Sakura’s hand and walks out the door-

-Gaara waves his hand, sand flies up into the rafters and sets Serry back down on the ground, safe.-

Serry: So um…

-Gaara disappeared in a whirl of sand-

*Okay this wasn't as funny as I thought it was going to be or maybe I’m just burnt out lol


	63. Chapter 63

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter 37 deleted scene...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just remembered I promised to post the deleted chapters, sorry. Here they are.

Sakura closed the door on her sleeping maid. Megumu had told her everything she could about what had happened but it wasn’t enough, or rather, she knew that wasn’t all that there was to tell about the attack. Something had Megumu holding back, or someone. Sakura suspected a genjutsu. She wasn’t skilled enough to break such a genjutsu without inflicting possible damage to Megumu, she would need help...Sasori’s help.

Someone had come to her cottage looking for her and had attacked her friend...she was pissed. Sakura clenched her fists at her side and grit her teeth as she sealed the doors and windows of her small cottage. 

Sakura opened the door to her office and stepped inside, shutting it and locking it behind her. 

“Time to write Itachi and tell him everything.” She muttered to herself.

She sat down at her desk, pulling pen and paper from it’s drawer and began to write to Uchiha Itachi. She wrote to him about Danzo and the Uchiha massacre, about Orochimaru, Sasuke, what she knew of Obito and Madara, of Pein and the Akatsuki. She signed it in blood and sealed it with her chakra.

Biting her thumb and pressing her hand to the floor she summoned Lady Katsuyu...but nothing happened. She tried it again and again, but nothing happened. “Damn it!”, she sat back in her chair frustrated.

Tap tap tap

Sakura turned in her chair to find Ryo hanging off the wall outside of her office. Rising from her chair she let him in through her window.

“Is everything alright Ryo?” She asked the Anbu, curiously.

“I heard you swear and saw you try to use a summons but nothing happened, would you like to send your letter using mine Sakura Sama?” Ryo bowed his head to her in respect.

Sakura licked her lips nervously. She hadn't realized Ryo knew what she was doing...all the time. “Um.” She paused.

“I won’t tell anyone Sakura Sama, if you...chose to send a letter to Konoha.” Ryo continued to look at the floor.

“How did you uh, know I was…” She trailed off nervous. What she was doing could be considered treason.

“I know everything you do Lady Sakura, and with whom.” Ryo blushed as his eyes met hers.

“Oh, well then, um, if you’re offering it means you know that uh.” She wasn’t sure how to finish her sentence.

“That it is private, yes.” Ryo finished for her, bit his thumb and slammed it to the floor of her office, a small crane appeared.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful!” Sakura smiled at the crane before them, it’s feathers were white and silvery iridescent, it’s neck graceful and refined.

“Her name is Shiyomi, she is one of my best friends and I trust her with my life.” Ryo took the rolled missive for Itachi and tied it gently around Shiyomi’s neck.

“Please see that this letter reaches Uchiha Itachi of the Hidden Leaf,and only Uchiha Itachi Shiyomi, it is very important. If it is taken by anyone else, Sakura Sama and I will both be in grave danger.” Ryo instructed his crane who bowed low, a graceful wing sweeping the ground at their feet, before flying out the open window and beyond, East toward Konoha.

“You would put yourself at risk for me Ryo?” Sakura was surprised.

“As I told Sasori Sama, I am loyal to you.” Ryo bowed low again to Sakura who blushed.

“But why? I don’t remember doing anything to have gained me such favor from you.” Sakura was beside herself.

“You give me hope. Hope that hasn’t been seen in Suna for many, many years.” Ryo smiled a brilliant smile and hopped back out the window onto the roof, leaving Sakura to open and close her mouth like a fish in surprise.

“Thank you Ryo!” Sakura called out to the ceiling overhead knowing he would hear her, blushing as she once again realized he had probably heard everything she had ever said since coming to Suna.

Sasori looked up to see Shiyomi, Ryo’s crane fly over his head, East out into the desert and paused. His head turned toward the hospital where he could feel Sakura’s chakra signature, she was in her greenhouse. 

“How is your maid?” Sasori asked as he pushed open the door to Sakura’s private greenhouse.

Sakura popped up from the floor where she had been arranging the water hose in preparation for the plants she was expecting in the next few days. 

“I need your help Sasori, if you would. I think she was put under a genjutsu and I am not skilled enough to release her from it. She doesn’t remember how she received the slashes that were on her legs, cross crossed, deliberate slashes. I healed her of course but they were not caused by broken dishes as she thinks.” Sakura stood up and leaned back against the small planting counter.

Sasori nodded. “I suspect whoever attacked her found you not at home and decided to use your maid to get to you, under a genjutsu.” 

“Civilians are particularly susceptible to such cases. I will look at her later tonight after she has rested.” He plugged in the filter to her watering system and arranged the hose on the middle shelf looking around.

“How many plants did you order?” He asked, there were a few plants he had set aside for her in his greenhouse and wanted to make sure she would have room for them.

“Six. They arrive tomorrow or perhaps the next day.” Sakura wiped her hands on a rag and opened the door for them to leave the greenhouse.

Sasori nodded as he left the greenhouse with her, that was enough to fill one wall, there would be plenty of space for the plants he was planning on gifting her.

“Rasa leaves for Iwa tomorrow morning. There have been talks of alliances for the last year but nothing has come of it so far. With your arrival it is another bargaining chip for Suna.” Sasori sat in one of her desk chairs as he explained the purpose for Rasa’s visit to Iwagakure.

“You said that Iwa will have an alliance with Kumo, but they don't have one yet. If the talks go well perhaps Iwa will align themselves with Suna instead of Kumo, lessening the chances of them joining against us and possibly abducting you openly.” Sasori tried to reassure her.

“Possibly.” Sakura looked out her office window toward the Kazekage’s office.

“I won’t let Rasa abuse your services.” He assured her, he knew what she must be thinking. “I said you were a bargaining chip, not tradeable.” 

Sakura nodded and took a deep breath. She had been worried, it wasn’t uncommon to trade elite jounin for an agreed upon amount of time with special skills, particularly medic nin, female medic nin.

“I doubt they would want you in their village anyway.” Sasori smirked at her surprised expression. “Your combat abilities are almost as well known as your healing abilities dear.”

“Oh.” She blushed at the compliment.

“The amount of jounin it would require to uh, keep you in line, just isn’t worth it my dear.” Sasori came around to stand beside her and look out the window.

“I wouldn’t let Rasa trade you anyway, even if he wanted to, he couldn’t, not with Gaara and I here to stop him. My brother is known for making some horrible decisions but even he sees the flaws in such a course, not only for his son but for Suna.” Sasori linked his fingers with hers as they stood together.

“You’re too valuable to Suna, Rasa knows that. The people of Suna know that.” Sasori looked over at the woman who continued to look out of her office window.

“You’re not worried are you?” He asked her, concerned by her lack of reaction.

“I keep telling myself this isn’t Konoha. My Gaara, when we would...lay together, he would tell me of his childhood, how different things were here than in Konoha and I think I forget sometimes...this isn’t Konoha and you do not do things the same here.” She turned and looked into Sasori’s amber eyes, looked down at their linked hands and smiled.

“I never would have thought Rasa would even consider trading me until you brought it up and now...I can see him doing it...for the good of Suna.” Sakura shrugged. “I forget, foolishly, how things are done in other villages. I guess I’m not as safe here as I thought I was.”

“You are. Did you not hear me? Gaara and I will not let him use you as a pawn in the name of Suna. Besides, do you not hear the talk in the village, what the civilians are saying about you?” Sasori took her other hand in his and brought them to his lips kissing them lightly, ignoring the twitch in his fingers when she had referred to Gaara as “my Gaara’.

“No.” Sakura blushed at his boldness.

“They're calling you the Angel of Suna. They claim you can raise the dead.” He smiled at her drop jawed expression.

“What?” She choked as he led her to her door and out of her office.

“That is nothing compared to what the shinobi population has been saying about you.” Sasori chuckled at her surprise, he had assumed she had heard and was delighted to be the one to tell her.

“What are the shinobi saying about me?” She asked, eyes wide, worried.

“They say you can control the tailed beasts, that you are a goddess who fell from the sky with magical powers that give you incredible strength.” He smiled at her.

“That’s not true though!” She protested.

“Let them talk, let them believe what they will. It isn’t that far from the truth anyway.” Sasori said as he opened the gate to her garden and let her pass before him.

“It is very far from the truth Sasori. I am not a goddess, far from it in fact.” Sakura bit her lip, she couldn’t possibly live up to these expectations.

“You fell from the sky didn’t you?” He pulled her around by the hand to sit down on the couch beside him.

“Well, yes but.” 

“Your Yin seal makes it nearly impossible for you to die, correct my dear?” Sasori smirked at her exasperated expression.

“You know it does but.”

“You find antidotes to poisons that had none before you came along, you heal those that would otherwise have died...goddess.” He smirked at her again, his thumb rubbing her knuckles gently.

“Sasori.” Sakura looked down at their joined hand and looked away.

“Is it modesty that makes you act this way or is it something else?” Sasori tilted his head to the side and watched her fidget.

“Modesty? What do you mean?” She turned her head back to meet his eyes.

“Who was it dear, who made you feel like you were worthless?” He asked her quietly.

“I, what? No one. He...I’m not that special.” She mumbled her brow furrowed in a frown as she studied her other hand.

Sasori ignored the ‘he’, for now and focused on her. “Special enough for Kaguya Otsutsuki to send back in time.” He lifted her chin with the back of his free hand and watched her eyes widen.

“How do you know about Kaguya and she’s a goddess?” Sakura


	64. Chapter 64

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapt 41 deleted scene

“Is that all you got?” Kakashi slammed her wrist up against the stone of the wall behind her head, numbing her fingers so that she dropped the kunai she had against his throat moments before he had revealed his substitution jutsu.

“Should have known.” She panted. “That you would use a substitution jutsu, damn it.”

“You’re getting sloppy Sa ku ra.” Kakashi taunted her as he pressed her body up against the wall with his own.

“Fuck you, Kakashi substitute.” She felt her chakra flicker and die in her hand. ‘Damn it, I used too much chakra earlier today and my stores haven’t replenished themselves’, she groaned internally.

Sasori, the Hokage and Rasa were enjoying a night cap together in the Kazekage’s office. Team Ro was relaxing in their room. Kakashi knew he had her all to himself, for at least a little while. He needed to talk to her and she needed to listen, but having her against him, backed up against the wall and her wriggling and writhing was throwing his mind out of focus.

“Not a substitute. I am him, just not as weak as he was.” He reminded her with a flick of his finger, he moved her hair out of her eyes so he could see her better. “I had to kill him, so one of us could survive, he wouldn’t kill me...you understand don’t you?”

“You didn’t have to kill him, there must have been another way.” She kicked at his foot, if she could just hook it around the back of her ankle…

“We both would have disappeared, do you not understand that? One can not exist with the other for long. Our time was running out, for both of us.” He explained with a ragged breath, she was moving too much against him, he had to focus. 

“Stop moving woman.” He growled.

Sakura stilled. “So, you didn’t kill him out of, of...want?” She asked him slowly as his words began to sink into her head.

“Of course not.” He groaned against her neck.

“The way you told me though and how you acted…” She was getting pissed. “Why the fuck would you act like that then?”

“Would you have believed me otherwise and besides, it was all true it’s not my fault that you assumed the worst in me.” He released her from the wall, stood back and stuck his hands in his pockets.

For a moment Sakura just stood there, her wrists where he had them pinned remained ont he wall…’he let me go?’, the thought registered and she lowered her hands to her side. This man...was confusing.

“What about you?” He asked her as though nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t jumped out of nowhere and pinned her to the wall as she walked home from the hospital.

“What about me?” Sakura eyed him with suspicion.

“Why are you here , why aren’t you trying to get back, to go home?” He asked her.

“That’s none of your business.” She snapped at him, her anger resurfacing.

“You know how to get back though don’t you? Do you know how you got back here? Could you tell me?” He asked her, taking a step forward.

“You want to go back, don't you...for Obito and Rin...did he, tell you?” She asked him.

“He told me enough, enough for me to know what my life was like after they died.” He said evenly, his edge returning.

“I don’t know how I got here or how to get back.” She told him the truth, stepping to the left to go around him.

“I don’t believe you.” He reached out for her again, fast, but Sakura was thrown back by a sudden wave of sand surrounding and encasing her.

“Gaara?” Sakura called out from inside the sand.

“Ka San!” Gaara stood between his mother and the Copy Nin, his little fists called up at his sides, his eyes hard. “Get away from my Ka San!”

Sand whirled and shot out toward the Copy Nin who jumped, flipped and dodged.

“Forgive me Sakura Sama.” Ryo landed beside the sand encasing Sakura. “The chakra distortion Sasori Sama placed around you is a little too effective. I lost track of you after you left the hospital.”

Ryo turned to watch as the young lord fought the Copy Nin, his sand slowly backing the man into a corner with each strike planned with the next several moves in mind.

‘A strategist’, Ryo watched with interest.

Gaara’s sand fell around Sakura releasing her from its protection.

“Where is he?” Sakura looked around but saw no sign of Kakashi.

“Gone, disappeared.” Ryo said, picking up Sakura’s bag that had fallen to the ground earlier and handing it to her.


	65. Chapter 65

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No Mei Allowed
> 
> chap 44 deleted scene

“Here, allow me.” He dropped another pill into her glass and refilled it halfway, watching her closely. She didn’t even seem to notice what he had done.

Sakura tipped the glass back, finished her drink and stood up, swaying only slightly. “I don’t feel well, I think...I should go.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” Rasa stood, picked her up into his arms and carried her out of the room, down the hall to his bedroom.

“Rasa.” Sakura tried to sit up but her body wouldn’t cooperate, her arms lay heavy at her side and her mind couldn’t seem to focus on any one thing at a time.

“Sakura, relax, it’s fine, just enjoy it. I won’t hurt you, I just...want to touch you, make you feel good.” Rasa stood at the end of the bed looking down at the woman, her eyes kept fluttering open then shut.

“You chose my brother didn’t you?” He asked her conversationally as he crawled onto the bed with her.

“Yes.” Sakura admitted watching him through dull eyes.

“Has he fucked you yet, has he spread your legs and plowed his cock into that tight little hole of yours yet?”

Sakura’s eyes flew open in shock at his words…”What?”

His hands squeezed her breasts through her shirt, his thumbs rubbing over her rising nipples.

“I’m going to fuck you. I’m going to fuck you like you should have let me fuck you that night over a month ago Sakura.” He untied her shirt and pulled her chest wraps from her body, her breasts bobbed out from the wraps and he licked his lips.

“Enjoy it Sakura, you won’t remember it anyway, no one needs to know.” His mouth clamped down over her right breast, his tongue swirling over her nipple drawing it up then flicking it hard against the side of his mouth.

“Rasa, this is wrong, this is…” She moaned.

“Let me taste you. Has my brother tasted you yet Sakura, has he licked your little cunt and sucked on your lips down there yet?”

Sakura closed her eyes and shook her head, her hair flying over her face.

“Good.” He pulled her toward him by the hips and untied her pants, slipping them easily off the ends of her feet. “No panties?” He laughed.

“Was this for my brother? Didn’t he tell you he wouldn’t be back tonight?”

Rasa moved one of her legs aside as he ran his hand down the inner thigh of the other. “You’re already wet for me, such a good girl Sakura.”

He rubbed his thumb up against her wet slit, “So slippery.” he murmured laying down between her legs as he continued to rub her slit with his thumb.

Sakura moaned and gripped the sheets in her fists. “Rasa stop please, this is, Sasori he’ll…”

“My brother isn’t here Sakura.” With his other thumb he spread her lips open, her glistening folds were so beautiful, he lowered his head and she cried out as his tongue swirled over her clit then plunged into her cunt.

“You’re as sweet as I thought you would be.” He spoke against her cunt, his lips moving over her sensitive clit, his tongue moving back and forth, closing his lips around her and sucking hard, she arched up against him.

“You like this don’t you, you want more don’t you?” He spoke against her wet, his thumb moving her lips aside as his tongue plunged into her again.

“Yes, I like it.” She cried.

“My brother never should have left you alone. If you were mine, I would never leave you for anyone else to take.” 

“Stop please, Sasori won’t, ugh, Rasa, he’ll...”

Rasa pushed two fingers up inside her hole and twisted them up to the third knuckle. “He won’t even know.” Curling his fingers he bent his head to suck on her clit. Even though she couldn’t move, his one hand held her down while he licked and sucked and shoved his fingers up into her, twisting them wickedly.

Against her will she moaned, her head moving from side to side as his fingers twisted and pulled her out from the inside, his tongue wet and skilled, he had clearly done this many times before and she felt the heat building up inside of her until she…

Sakura lay panting, as he looked up over her body after she had orgasamed. His whole hand was wet with her arousal. Drawing his knees up he untied his pants and pulled his cock out, rubbing her wet from his hand over the tip and down the hardened length.

“I’m going to fuck you now. I’m going to fuck you and you’re going to like it, you’re going to beg me for more.” Rasa crawled over top of her once more and moved his cock over her dripping wet.

“I’m going to cum in you, maybe I’ll have another son who can carry a tailed beast from you, your chakra control and monstrous strength...I’ll fuck you every time my brother is out of the village until you’re pregnant with my child then I’ll banish him and fuck you every night until I can fill another unborn with a tailed beast.”

“You’re a monster Rasa.” Sakura tried to sit up, tried to move her body but it wouldn’t obey her.

“Then leave, if you don’t want me inside of you.” He smirked at her, he knew very well she couldn’t move.

Satisfied, he kissed her hard, slapped her across the face “Shut up then, if you’re not leaving, shut up and let me do what I want.”

He picked both of her legs up, flipped her and grabbed her ass, spreading her cheeks apart. “So tight.” Rasa licked her before rubbing the tip of his cock over her dripping hole.

“When I said I wouldn’t hurt you...I lied.” Rasa thrust forward hard, hitting her with such force her whole body was thrown forward, her cries muffled in his pillows and he set a ravaging pace.

Lifting her ass up and hugging it to his body he bent over her back slowing just enough to keep from coming too soon. Sitting back and up he ran his hands under her body, over her stomach, up to cup her breasts as he fucked her from behind.

Pinching her nipples between his fingers he felt her walls tighten around his cock.

“Fuck, you like it rough don’t you.” Rasa pinched her nipples again and pulled them to points. She screamed into the blankets and he laughed, pressing his cock into her hard.

“Is that the back, is that as far as I can go in you? You really are a small thing aren’t you?” he mocked her, his hips rubbing up against her thighs chafing her skin.

“Too much, please stop.” She moaned out around the blanket.

“I’m not nearly done with you yet.” he pulled her head back by her hair, brought his cock out to the tip then ploughed into her again hard making her double over to scream into the pillow again.

Rasa let his hands slid down her sweat slick back and around her fleshy ass, spreading her cheeks so he could watch his cock slide in and out of her body. She was so tight and small, and hot, he could barely keep himself from coming too fast.

Lifting his fingers to his mouth he spat on his thumb. “Has my brother touched you here?” He asked her as he worked his thumb up into her ass.

“No.” She moaned and wriggled, trying to get away. Her efforts were pointless, her chakra was gone, her body weak.

“You’re mine.” Rasa slipped a finger into her ass. “I can feel my cock in your cunt through your ass hole, you belong to me.” Two fingers into her ass, he could feel himself pulsating against the walls of her cunt, could feel her tightening painfully around his fingers.

“You love this don’t you, you’re going to come for me aren't you?” He mocked her..

Repositioning her, he bent her forward, arching her back almost painfully as he quickened his space. “Feel it, I want you to feel it so much that it hurts you into the next day, so when he returns and you look at him, when you walk beside him you feel the pain I’ve caused you and know it was me who fucked you so hard you felt it for days after.”

Sakura’s vision began to blur as the blood filled her head, she didn’t hear his words, she could only feel the relentless ruthlessness of his cock fucking her into the bed. She could feel the swell of his organsam start at his base, then work it’s way up to his tip then…

“Aughhh.” She cried into the blankets and he released his sperm into her cunt making her squirm underneath him. His hands on either side of her, gripped her hips until they bruised forcing her to remain still, his cock locked inside of her.


	66. Chapter 66

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapt 47 deleted ending

“Haruno Sakura, Konoha kunoichi, apprentice to the fifth Hokage Tsunade Senju and the best friend and teammate of Naruto Uzumaki...my first friend…” Gaara took Sakura’s face between his hands and kissed her on the mouth.

“Ga Gaara?” Sakura held the boy back from her looking into his eyes confused. He had just…

Sasori released his chakra and sent it out toward the boy, something was different, something had changed.

“Sakura.” Gaara’s small hand rose and cupped her face. He looked down at his hands, a small look of confusion momentarily clouding his vision. “What is this?”

“Gaara.” Sakura set the boy down on the floor before her and stood up.

Gaara looked up at his Sakura. She was so tall...no. He was...short.

“Gaara, what is the last thing you remember?” She asked the boy.

“Naruto said he could send me to where you were, that you had been sent back in time that…” Gaara looked around, spotted Sasori and sent a wave of sand over the table knocking him tot he floor.

Gaara pushed Sakura behind him. “Is that...is that Akasuna no Sasori?”

Sakura bit her lip, this couldn’t be happening, not now...


	67. Chapter 67

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter 58 deleted scene

“You infused your chakra with a poison to make the target more susceptible to a genjutsu?” Tsunade was impressed. Very impressed. Sakura’s creation was both clever and creative.

“What did he tell you?” Kakashi asked Sakura, his eye intent as he looked at her.

Sakura cast a look at Sasori before looking at Gaara. “He said he was from the Land of Demons.”

Sasori watched the hokage closely. She made no telling move that would make him suspicious of her but she was the Hokage. Gaara, with similar intent, was watching the Copy Nin. Sakura and Sasori had met with Gaara before dinner with the Konoha nin and together, they had decided to tell them what the nameless shinobi had told Sakura under the force of her interrogation to judge their reactions.

Naruto watched Gaara and his Uncle, they were looking for something, but he didn’t know what. He had hardly been able to contain his excitement upon seeing his former time traveling team mate. They had seen her in Konoha of course but one of them was always out on a mission, or they had missed her visit altogether, this was the first time, since their own time that Team 7 was together all in the same place at the same time, in this time. He was beyond pleased.

“We missed you Sakura.” Naruto grinned at her from across the table.

“I missed you too.” Her voice was filled with all the emotion she had felt up until that point. “It’s almost unbelievable that we’re all here, finally together. Even you Sasuke.”

“Hn. I was gone when you visited the last three times.” Sasuke stated the fact just as passive and emotionless as she remembered him to be in her time but...underneath it all she could tell, he too was pleased to see her.

Team 7 had been busy these last few years and the trust between some of their members had been touch and go. Sakura still wasn’t sure she trusted this new Kakashi completely after how he had acted, the things he had said to her but after a time, after several years, they had come to...and understanding of sorts. She understood why he had told her he thought he was ‘broken’.

Sakura also realized with the return of Gaara, that she too had been ‘broken’, Naruto had helped her understand that about herself and her situation with the tanuki. Shukaku had sealed his heart with hers, so when they were apart, neither one of them felt completely whole. Vaguely she wondered if that was the pull and the push between her two relationships. Was Shukaku’s heart pulling her away from Sasori and pushing her toward Gaara?

The topic had come up inadvertently through correspondence in the last few months and honestly, she hadn’t thought much about it until today. 

Naruto had moved forward with his plan and had sealed Kurama’s heart with Sasuke. B, the eight tails had sealed his tailed beast heart with the Raikage, but no one had heard back from the seven tails and assumed Fu had elected not to seal her tailed beast’s heart with anyone, as she had originally planned.

Sasuke had predicted she would be taken next, but there was nothing they could do about it, if she wouldn’t heed their warnings, or take their advice.

“I’m more worried about the thousands of enemy shinobi waiting over the next border for us.” Sakura admitted continuing the conversation.

“I’ve sent out a team of scouts and expect word from them soon via hawk.” Gaara inclined his head to Sakura. “We will need verification before we move against them.”

“You plan to move against them if what the enemy nin says is proven to be true?” Tsunade asked.

“I will take the required steps to keep my people safe, as would you Hokage.” Gaara said without rancor.

Sakura drummed her fingers on the table thoughtfully before speaking. “I do not think the Land of Demons is working alone. They do not have a military force large enough for such a bold move.”

“Do you think they’re working with the Akatsuki?” Naruto interjected seriously.

Sakura’s eyes widened a bit at that, the thought that the Land of Demons would be working with the Akatsuki had never occurred to her.

“An interesting possibility.” Sasori tested the words on his tongue and found them palatable.

“What have you found Naruto?” Gaara asked his friend.

“They’re moving, more than their move to collect the tailed beasts. Three of their top members weren’t available to them this time around, they have had to make alternative choices from our time.” Naruto explained.

“Such as?” Gaara inquired.

“We think, they will try to revive Madara in a different way.” Sasuke supplied the answer to Gaara’s question.

“Kaguya.” Kakashi said, making all heads turn toward him. “Her dark will...you said...she wanted you to heal her Sakura?” He asked Sakura, turning toward her.

“Yes, she told me that I had already saved her once, but I don’t know what she meant by that. I haven’t saved her as far as I know, but she also said she wanted me to heal her only…” Sakura paused. “She told me I wasn’t a regular healer, that I don’t just save lives or whatever, I heal people’s souls.”

Sakura flushed with embarrassment. She hadn’t told any of them that part of her and Kaguya’s conversation and it made her feel rather self conscious.

“Heal their souls?” Shisui looked at her then Itachi who ‘s mouth had quirked up at the side.

“You do.” Itachi said simply. He and Shisui had talked of this periodically since the death of Danzo, how if not for Sakura, his soul would have been tainted, how the clan would be dead and how Sasuke would have lost touch with his humanity consumed by the hate that followed the massacre. She had saved more than lives when she had helped them.

“You saved the Uchiha clan Sakura. You saved both Sasuke and I from a fate worse than death.” Itachi said with grace.

The table fell silent.

“Not just the Uchiha Sakura.” Gaara’s voice was solid, sound and sincere. “You saved me from a horrific childhood, from becoming worse than I had already become. A fate worse than death, aptly put.” He inclined his head to Itachi.

“I saw what my life was like without you, before in our time. I owe you much more than love, more than gratitude.” Gaara looked from his Uncle to Sakura. “I just...want you to be happy.”

“You’re holding back on us. What else did the nameless shinobi tell you?” Sasuke watched Sakura with narrowed eyes, earning him a warning look from his brother.

“He said that they weren’t alone, that Konoha was helping them, that you were going to attack Suna with hem and break our alliance.” She looked Sasuke in the eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's it!


End file.
